


Rumor

by TVXQmamacita



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Super Junior
Genre: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, Revenge, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 00:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14822075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVXQmamacita/pseuds/TVXQmamacita
Summary: Yunho wasn't sure why the police had shown up, slapping handcuffs on his wrists and forcibly taking him to the police station. He didn't know why he was in an interrogation room, staring at a one-way mirror. He should still be at home, trying to figure out how to apologize to Changmin for hurting him so much.





	1. Apology

Yunho hated it when he and Changmin fought.

Over the years, their relationship had changed so much. Since the two of them had completely different personalities, it was normal for them to disagree about certain things. To say that they never fought would be a lie. The two of them were so stubborn, it was a miracle the two of them didn’t fight more.

Today, it was Changmin that started the fight.

It had been a stressful week for Changmin, all anger began to boil over today, and right now he’s angry at Yunho for things he couldn’t even control. Changmin knew he was being ridiculous, but no matter how much he tried to get himself to stop, he couldn’t.

Changmin couldn’t even pinpoint what started the fight in the first place, but eventually Changmin’s aim is just to hurt Yunho. Since Yunho isn’t the type that easily accepts defeat, for everything Changmin screams, Yunho instantly has a reply, and in a matter of minutes, he’s just as fired up as Changmin.

Changmin knows he’s gone too far when he sees, for a split second, the flash of hurt that crosses Yunho’s face. It was at that moment that Changmin wished he could take back everything he said. He wished he could crawl into a ball and pray that he could turn back the hands of time.

Before Changmin could say anything further, his head is whipped to the side, a slight burn on his left cheek.

It took both of them a few seconds to realize what just happened.

Changmin looked forward and saw Yunho’s hand still hovering in the air. He suddenly pulls back, as if his hand had been scorched by fire. The realization that he had just hit Changmin dropped on him like a pile of bricks. “No,” Yunho said breathlessly, noticing Changmin’s cheek already turning a deep shade of red. He reached out to Changmin, but the maknae jerked away from his touch. “Ch-Changmin, I-”

Changmin shook his head as he rushed out of the studio.

Yunho didn’t know where Changmin was going, but he knew following him would be a mistake. Yunho sighed, falling to his knees in defeat. “Jung Yunho. What did you just do?”

* * *

Yunho and Changmin promised they would make everything work out between the two of them. They had gone through a difficult turn in life; their band going from a quintet to a duo. They only had each other now, and they knew returning to the stage would be difficult.

Thinking about that promise they made to each other always broke Yunho’s heart whenever he and Changmin had one of their petty fights.

He knew, these fights usually meant nothing. They were just a result of having more pent up anger than they knew what to do with.

Today’s fight was one that had been days in the making, Yunho knew that. Changmin had been on edge. It had been an unusually stressful week for him. His parents’ house had been broken into, and while no one was hurt, his family had been terribly shaken up by the incident, and Changmin felt powerless. He wasn’t able to protect them, and he felt like nothing he did could comfort them after the fact.

Yunho knew Changmin was emotional, and hid that emotion under a mask of apathy.

Which is why when this fight began, Yunho couldn’t be mad at Changmin for it. The maknae was having a tough time. So Yunho tried to reason with Changmin.

But this time, it wasn’t working. Yunho wasn’t getting through to Changmin, and it seemed like his efforts were only aggravating Changmin even more, which only led to Yunho losing his temper as well.

Now that Yunho had some time to himself, he saw what felt like a thousand different ways this fight could have been resolved, and he hated himself even more every time he remembered how he ended it.

Yunho sighed as he rolled out of bed. He went to his closet, grabbing a green hoodie before throwing it on.

There was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight without at least knowing that Changmin was okay.

Grabbing his phone from his bedside table, he typed a quick message to Changmin.

_I’m coming over._

Changmin hadn’t been replying to Yunho’s messages, but Yunho didn’t care at this point. He knew Changmin was at home, and this wouldn’t be the first time one of them showed up to the other one’s home unannounced for the sake of making up.

Yunho wanted everything to be resolved as soon as possible. He was sure that Changmin was the same way, but sometimes, his pride stopped him from making the first move.

Thankfully, their fights didn’t carry on for too long, because both of them cared too much about each other to allow an argument to carry on longer than it should. Yunho hated seeing Changmin upset, and Changmin hated the possibility of Yunho being mad at him, no matter how much Changmin wanted to deny that fact.

After putting on his shoes, he made his way out the door, hoping that Changmin would have opened up by the time he made it to his house.

Getting to Changmin, however, proved harder than Yunho anticipated.

As he made his way to his car, he dropped his phone, the device cracking upon impact. The screen was black when Yunho picked the device off the ground and entered his car. He groaned as he tried reviving his phone, but it seemed like the fall had damaged it more than he realized.

Yunho groaned, tossing his phone to the passenger seat before starting the car and beginning his his short drive to Changmin.

Except this drive was coming to be not as short as Yunho was used to.

Yunho sighed as he sat in traffic. Driving to Changmin usually only took a few minutes, but the roads were backed up so badly, he’d been in the same spot for over thirty minutes.

There must have been a terrible accident, Yunho can conclude that from the ambulance, police, and fire truck that forced their way through the traffic. By the looks of things, there was no way Yunho would make it to Changmin’s place at a reasonable time.

Yunho supposed being stuck in traffic was meant to be. It’s not like Changmin was eager to see him; he was sure of that.

Yunho just hoped to clear the air tonight, because he and Changmin had a lot of work to do the next day, and neither of them worked efficiently when they were holding a grudge. If Changmin wasn’t ready to make up for the sake of their relationship, Yunho could hope that he was at least ready to make up for the sake of their career.

Finally, an hour later, the line of cars started to move at a decent pace. Yunho felt his body relax at this. It was already pretty late, but he could still get to Changmin at a decent time.

Yunho sped up a little, when suddenly, there’s a small explosion and his vehicle swerves. Yunho’s reflexes stop him from losing control, and he’s able to pull over on the side of the road and avoid further oncoming traffic.

He gets out of the car, and his fear is confirmed.

“Seriously?” he asked, looking at the flat tire in front of him, as if he needed any confirmation that today was indeed a bad day.

Yunho changed the tire as quickly as he could, and by the time he was done, he was completely exhausted. Maybe going to Changmin tonight wasn’t meant to be.

Yunho figured that at this point, the best thing he could do was buy breakfast for Changmin tomorrow as a way to make amends.

He got back into his car, making a U-turn at the first possible chance. Going to Changmin didn’t seem to work tonight, but maybe he could go home and figure out where he could get his phone fixed this late into the night.

* * *

_Changmin. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. Can we talk for a bit?_

_Are you okay?_

_I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me._

_I hope I didn’t leave a bruise. I shouldn’t have hurt you and I can’t believe I did that._

_Changdol, please don’t cut me out like this._

Changmin sighed as his phone dinged every few minutes. He stopped checking his messages after a while; he knew they were all from Yunho, and Changmin just didn’t want to see him right now.

He knew, to an extent, that the fight was his own fault.

So why couldn’t he bring himself to confront Yunho?

His phone went off once more.

Changmin bit his lip as he finally gave in and reached for the device on the opposite end of his couch. Six text messages and one voicemail awaited Changmin, and it didn’t surprise him to see that it was all from Yunho.

_I’m coming over._

Changmin groaned. He didn’t want to see Yunho, not yet anyway.  He wasn’t ready to face him. Changmin didn’t know what to say to him if he were to come here. Now would probably be a good time to finally reply to Yunho.

_Don’t bother. I’m fine._

Changmin sat still, staring at his phone for a few minutes as he waited for Yunho to reply.

The fact that Yunho hadn’t jumped to reply meant that he either gave up for now, or was already on his way and was too stubborn to turn back.

Changmin would bet it was the latter; it was always the latter when it came to Yunho.

 _Ugh. He’s coming over,_ Changmin messaged Kyuhyun.

_LOL should I come over and stop you guys from killing each other?_

_Probably._

_Alright I’m on my way._

Changmin placed his phone on the couch and let out a deep sigh. He hated how much energy fighting with Yunho took out of him.

Maybe it really was a good thing Yunho was coming over. They could settle all of this before Changmin stayed up all night thinking about it.

His doorbell rang, causing Changmin to jump out of his thoughts.

 _That was fast_ , he supplied in his mind. Yunho was probably only a few blocks away when he sent his last text. For some reason, that thought made Changmin roll his eyes.

If Changmin didn’t answer the door now, he was sure Yunho would sit in front of his door all night.

He got off the couch and started heading towards the door. From the security monitor, he saw a flash of a familiar green hoodie and reluctantly opened the door.

“Hey, Yu-” Changmin cut himself off as he noticed the hooded man standing in front of him wasn’t Yunho. “Um...yes?” he asked in confusion.

The man smiled, and for some reason, it made Changmin shiver.

“Shim Changmin,” the man said, removing his hood and further revealing his face. “It’s good to see you again.”

* * *

Kyuhyun was always the first person Changmin went to whenever he and Yunho had their fights.

Kyuhyun was always the first person Changmin called whenever anything stressed him out.

Kyuhyun remembered when this pattern started. He remembered answering his phone and hearing nothing, thinking it was an accidental dial, until he heard a broken voice say, “they’re gone”. The voice almost didn’t sound like Changmin. If his best friend’s name hadn’t shown up on the caller ID, Kyuhyun wouldn’t have known who he was talking too. But those two words made Kyuhyun drop everything and go to Changmin, finding Changmin with tears violently pouring from his eyes, his face red and puffy, and the dorm empty.

His body acted on its own after seeing Changmin in such a pathetic state. Kyuhyun approached Changmin, sitting beside him and pulling him into a tight hug as he continued to cry. Neither of them could let go, and even after Changmin fell asleep, and Yunho returned after unsuccessfully convincing the other three members to stay, Kyuhyun still held onto Changmin tightly. He couldn’t bring back the other three, he couldn’t convince Changmin that this wasn’t his fault. All Kyuhyun could do was make sure that Changmin knew he would be there for him at anytime.

Years later, that still held true.

Kyuhyun was guest starring on a variety show when he got a text from Changmin summarizing what had happened between him and Yunho.

Kyuhyun called Changmin as soon as he could, and let him vent about the day’s events. That seemed to be all that Changmin needed at the moment, just an avenue to get everything off his chest.

It seemed to help. Changmin told him he would spend the rest of the day at home to do some thinking. But it seemed that Yunho’s persistence was putting a damper on Changmin’s plans for a quiet evening.

Kyuhyun made a quick stop at a barbeque restaurant to pick up food for himself and Changmin, and rushed over to Changmin’s home.

Kyuhyun knocked on the door, hoping the bag of food he was carrying would be enough to cheer up Changmin just a little bit.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as seconds passed and there was no answer.

“It’s me, Chwang,” Kyuhyun said as he knocked again. “Open up.”

He was greeted by more silence.

Kyuhyun sighed, bringing his fingers to the keypad. Either Changmin had commenced the usual drinking party for himself, or he was lost in his head. Kyuhyun entered the code, the door unlocking with an audible click, before Kyuhyun let himself in.

“Changmin. I found the- Oh my God,” he gasped, dropping the bag in his hand. He barely noticed the bag bursting, the food containers spilling its contents onto the floor as he took in the scene. Chairs were overthrown, the couch was out of place, and the TV was knocked over.

What made Kyuhyun’s heart stop, however, was Changmin sprawled on the floor, a pool of blood formed by an obvious head wound.

In his panic, Kyuhyun rushed over to Changmin and dropped to his knees, grabbing Changmin by the shoulders and shaking him. “Changmin!” he called out, hoping Changmin would open his eyes and then laugh at Kyuhyun for being so dramatic. This was a prank, right? Changmin just needed a way to relieve some stress. He always played a mean joke on Kyuhyun whenever he wanted to cheer himself up.

“Yah! Shim Changmin wake up this instant!”

Kyuhyun felt his throat tightening. He’s not dead, is he?”

He shook that thought from his head. “Please wake up, Changmin,” he begged, as he used one hand to pull out his phone, and the other to check for Changmin’s pulse.

Kyuhyun sighed in relief when he felt the weak beat on Changmin’s neck.

“You’re gonna be fine, Changmin,” Kyuhyun muttered, more for his own comfort. “You’ll be okay, just hang on.”

Talking to the emergency responder was not easy. His shock, combined with his confusion as to what could have possibly happened, made it hard for him to communicate. Kyuhyun was so relieved once he was able to end the call, because now he could just focus on Changmin while he waited for him to wake up.

“Help’s on the way, Changmin,” Kyuhyun said, continuing his futile attempts to get Changmin to wake up.

Kyuhyun didn’t notice the paramedics entering. He suddenly felt himself being shoved away from Changmin before he realized that they came.

Kyuhyun could only watch helplessly as Changmin was secured on an immobilization board. He gasped when they started talking to him, throwing question after question about Changmin’s state. He didn’t know anything. All he knew is that his friend is dying and needs help; help that Kyuhyun couldn’t provide.

Kyuhyun was able to grab Changmin’s hand in the chaos as the gurney was rolled out of the building and into the ambulance. He entered the vehicle without even seeking permission. They were crazy if they thought Kyuhyun was going to leave Changmin alone.

Kyuhyun was holding Changmin’s limp hand in between both of his own, and he couldn’t help but notice how cold Changmin felt. Kyuhyun wasn’t sure if it was from his imagination; it probably was. But Kyuhyun hoped that Changmin could feel the warmth coming from him.

“It’s okay, Changmin,” Kyuhyun whispered. “You’re going to be fine.”

Kyuhyun closed his eyes, hoping he'd wake up from whatever nightmare this was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a story that's been floating in my mind for months. This takes place between Keep You Head Down and Catch Me, because it's rumored that's when our boys used to fight the most (that...and other reasons).
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!


	2. Whatever They Say

As if finding Changmin beaten and unconscious wasn’t hard enough, Kyuhyun was placed with the unfortunate task of having to call Changmin’s family.

It was at that moment that Kyuhyun hated his life, because how can you tell your best friend’s mother that someone broke into her son’s home and attacked him?

Changmin never showed any signs of waking up during the ride to the hospital. He wasn’t responding to any stimuli, and the EMT’s were already discussing their worry for possible brain damage as they placed an oxygen mask over Changmin’s nose and mouth.

He heard the EMT’s talking about other injuries, but by then, his mind was already racing so fast he couldn’t understand what was going on around him anymore. Kyuhyun didn’t even realize that the ambulance made it to the hospital until an EMT started yelling at him.

Kyuhyun sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours before he realized that he had to call Changmin’s family. His shaking fingers could barely dial, and his voice made him sound as if someone was choking him.

Once Changmin’s family arrived at the hospital, Kyuhyun felt his heart break even more. He had no idea what to say to them, mostly because Kyuhyun was still trying to get a grip on everything himself. He stood up, hoping that he could provide some type of support to them.

“I’m sorry,” was the only thing Kyuhyun managed to say to them once he got his voice to work.

Changmin’s family replied by pulling Kyuhyun and hugging him tightly because they knew none of this was his fault, and he was hurting because Changmin means so much to him.

“Have you heard anything?” Changmin’s father finally asked.

Kyuhyun shook his head. He had been waiting for news of Changmin this whole time, and he was wondering how much time should pass before “no news” became “bad news”.

“Why would someone do this?” Changmin’s mother asked.

Kyuhyun was asking that same question. 

Changmin never hurt anyone. He was a good guy that liked to drink wine and watch movies. He liked to stay at home because social events tired him out. None of this made sense to Kyuhyun.

Now all he could wonder was if Changmin knew his attacker, or was this a random act of violence? How scared was Changmin when all of this was happening?

“I...I don’t know,” Kyuhyun said. “I just found him like that I have no idea-”

Kyuhyun’s words were cut off as Sooyeon placed her hand on Kyuhyun’s back.

Kyuhyun turned his attention to Changmin’s sisters. They looked so similar to Changmin it made Kyuhyun shiver.

“Are you okay?” Sooyeon asked.

Kyuhyun couldn’t believe she was asking him that. He wasn’t the one in the hospital after being beaten mercilessly. Her brother was the one admitted into the hospital, but she still felt the need to check on Kyuhyun’s wellbeing.

“I...I’m fine,” Kyuhyun answered.

“You don’t look fine,” Jiyeon pointed out.

Changmin’s parents urged Kyuhyun to sit back down, and he was powerless to do anything but. Kyuhyun fell into his chair, Changmin’s parents sitting on one side while Changmin’s sisters sat on the others.

“You’re shaken up about this,” Changmin’s mother said. “And that’s okay. I know how much you care about Changmin. You don’t have to pretend to be strong for our sake.”

Kyuhyun took in a shuddering breath. “If I had come earlier...then maybe...maybe-”

“You would have been hurt too,” Mr. Shim said. “You were able to call the ambulance for Changmin. You saved his life.”

“Changmin will be fine,” Sooyeon said with a smile, although her eyes were becoming wet with unshed tears. “He’ll be okay because you were able to get him here. We’re grateful to you for that.”

Kyuhyun didn’t feel like he deserved their appreciation. He wished there had been a way to save Changmin before he got hurt. Mr. Shim had a good point though. Had Kyuhyun come at the same time Changmin’s attacker came, he probably wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. Kyuhyun didn’t have fight skills like Sungmin or Yunho and-

Kyuhyun gasped.

Jiyeon noticed Kyuhyun’s sudden change in demeanor. “Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened. “Yunho,” he breathed out, suddenly remembering why he went to Changmin’s apartment in the first place.

“What about Yunho?” Changmin’s mother asked.

“He was supposed to be at Changmin’s apartment,” Kyuhyun answered. “He and Changmin got in a fight and…” he trailed off.

“Where...is he?” Changmin's father asked. If anything, Yunho would be here. They knew how protective Yunho was of Changmin, and it wasn't like Yunho to not figure out if something was wrong, especially if he eventually ended up going to Changmin's apartment after the ambulance had arrived.

“He wasn’t hurt too, was he?” Sooyeon asked.

Kyuhyun shook his head. “I’m sure he’s not,” he said, and it occurred to him that he should also call Yunho. He reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, but sighed as he looked up and saw two police officers coming in their direction. It was no doubt they were here for Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun stood up on shaky legs. He had no idea what help he could give to these officers, but he was ready to get this questioning over with.

“Let me know if you get any news about Changmin,” Kyuhyun asked Sooyeon and Jiyeon, who both nodded at his request.

Kyuhyun could call Yunho later. Right now, he had to see if the police found out who hurt his best friend.

* * *

Yunho couldn’t sleep.

That angered him, because he already knew why.

Yunho was more emotional than people realized. He hated fighting with Changmin, and he hated it more when his fights with him were never resolved.

Maybe it was a bad idea for Yunho to have come back home instead of continuing his drive to Changmin’s apartment. 

Yunho crossed a line during their fight. He shouldn’t have hit Changmin like that, especially knowing how much Changmin was already hurting. When Changmin was acting like that, Yunho's job was to try to calm Changmin down, not give the maknae a reason to not trust him anymore.

Yunho didn’t get to apologize, and that was eating him up on the inside. 

Time seemed to tick slowly as he laid on his back, staring into the dark as he wished his eyes would stay closed for at least an hour. He had a long day ahead of him, and he wasn’t sure how he would survive it without proper rest and the occasional ten minute naps in between.

Yunho jumped at the sound of a loud knock on his door. 

He was sure he had every right to be concerned. The clock on his bedside table currently read 2:30AM, and he couldn’t come up with any reason why someone would come over so late.

Maybe someone had called him in an emergency, but Yunho couldn’t answer his phone because he accidentally destroyed it.

He crawled out of bed, turning on a few lights as he walked to his front door.

Yunho only became more confused upon seeing that there were two policemen standing on the opposite side of the door, and Yunho began to worry that something terrible had really happened. Was someone in his family hurt? What about his friends? Yunho was praying that he wasn’t about to hear news of someone he loved dying suddenly. He didn’t think he could handle such news.

Yunho swallowed the lump in his throat as he opened the door.

“Jung Yunho,” one of the officers said. 

Yunho nodded dumbly, bracing himself for whatever bad news was about to come his way.

“You’re going to have to come with us,” he said.

“Why?” he asked. That definitely wasn’t something he was expecting. “What’s going on?” Yunho shivered. He didn’t like the looks on the officers faces, and it didn’t help that they were being so secretive. But if something happened to any of his family or friends, then they really should speak up. Yunho hated having to wonder what was going on.

“Turn around and place your hands behind your back,” the other officer commanded.

“What?” Yunho asked. The police weren't here to deliver any news, they were here to arrest him. Now Yunho was really confused. “Why?”

“There’s no need to start a fight,” the officer said, mistaking Yunho’s confusion for aggression. “We want to do this quietly so please, turn around and place your hands behind your back, and we’ll settle this at the station.”

Yunho's mind shut down at that moment. He needed to know what was going on, and it seemed like the only way he would get his answer was if he just surrendered and followed instructions. He followed their command like a robot, turning his back to them and feeling the metal handcuffs latch onto his wrists.

_ What is going on? _

* * *

 

By the time the police were done questioning Kyuhyun, Changmin was finally allowed to have visitors.

Kyuhyun walked to Changmin’s room on wobbly legs as he tried to register what just happened.

_ “There was no sign of forced entry, which means Changmin most likely knew his attacker.” _

That explained how someone was able to get into Changmin’s home in the first place. He was always so paranoid about security, Kyuhyun couldn’t imagine someone actually being able to break in, let alone him answering the door to a stranger.

_ “So far we have reason to believe that this was not premeditated. Things might have just gotten out of hand. _

Sure, Changmin could be snarky; it was something he as known for. But what could he have said or done to make someone lose it completely?

_ “Yunho and Changmin got in a fight,” Kyuhyun told the officers. “Changmin told me to come over because he was still mad at Yunho but Yunho had insisted on coming over anyway.” _

Once Kyuhyun made it to Changmin’s room, he couldn’t get himself to open the door yet. His mind and body still had yet to cooperate with each other.

_ “Further evidence has led us to believe that Yunho is the one who did this.” _

Yunho wouldn’t have done this, right?

Sure, Changmin was really getting on Yunho’s last nerve.

But Changmin meant everything to Yunho. He wasn’t capable of doing something like this. It just...didn’t seem like Yunho.

_ “Changmin’s phone indicated that he was expecting a visit from Yunho around the time that the attack happened.” _

All of this had to be a coincidence.

Yunho was innocent. He would never hurt Changmin.

_ "We've sent a couple of officers to Yunho's apartment right now. Hopefully, we can get this all figured out, okay?" _

Kyuhyun inhaled deeply, trying to get his head to stop spinning. Changmin’s family was probably worried about him by now. 

Kyuhyun grabbed the door knob and twisted it, reluctantly letting himself in.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see, considering the fact that he was the one that rode with Changmin in the ambulance.

But as he walked into the room, his eyes zoned into Changmin, and he looked worse than Kyuhyun remembered. Maybe it was because when Kyuhyun found Changmin, the only thing his mind  _ could  _ register was that his friend was bleeding on the floor and his mind went blank after that.

But now, Kyuhyun could see the slight bruising on Changmin’s neck and arms. There was also a bruise on the left side of his face, and it had the distinguishable shape of a fist. Changmin had a bandage wrapped around his head. He looked pale, and Kyuhyun wondered if it was because Changmin lost more blood than he realized.

Kyuhyun squinted as his eyes fell to the gauze wrapped just below Changmin’s right bicep.

“The doctor said there’s...there’s a small possibility of brain damage,” Mr. Shim said, his voice was shaking. “They won’t know for sure until he wakes up…” Mr. Shim placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder, who was sitting at Changmin’s bedside and gripping Changmin’s right hand tightly. “But they think he’ll be fine,” he added. It seemed to be the only reassurance for everyone in the room.

Kyuhyun nodded. Of course Changmin would be okay. This was Changmin.

“What happened to Changmin’s arm?” he asked.

“The doctors said it looked like it was done with a knife,” Mr. Shim answered.

Kyuhyun was even more puzzled. Did Changmin’s attacker bring a knife? The police said they found the weapon Changmin was hit in the head with. They didn’t mention a knife.

If the person that attacked Changmin came with a knife, that means this whole thing premeditated and _definitely_ not Yunho.

“Kyuhyun,” Changmin’s father said, bringing Kyuhyun’s attention to the present. “What did the police say? Do they know who did this?”

Kyuhyun’s mouth hung open at the question. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get himself to speak. Maybe because none of this was still wasn’t making sense to him. Or maybe because he simply couldn’t say something that his mind refused to believe.

He glanced at every member of the Shim family. It was no wonder why Mr. Shim was doing all the talking; he seemed like the only one who was still put together. Changmin’s mother and sisters had clearly just finished an episode of crying; their faces were a bright shade of red and their eyes were still wet. Changmin’s father looked like he hadn’t shed a tear. But Kyuhyun knew, the man was was absolutely devastated. 

What could Kyuhyun say to them?

The police said Yunho did this. But the Shim family viewed Yunho as their son. Yunho was someone they thanked constantly for supporting Changmin and helping shape the man he is today. The Shim family was already so heartbroken due to Changmin’s state, Kyuhyun couldn’t add to that.

“Kyuhyun?” Mr. Shim said, looking at the younger man in worry.

Kyuhyun was able to let out a small croak, causing him to shrink in embarrassment. He couldn’t say it.

“Kyuhyun,” Mrs. Shim spoke up. “Please tell us what you know. If you’re trying to protect whoever did this…”

“That’s the thing,” Kyuhyun said, thankful that he was finally able to find his voice. “They have a suspect, but...but none of it makes sense and I won’t believe it.” He shifted his gaze to the floor. He didn't want to look at any one of them as he broke the news.

“Tell us anyway,” Changmin's father demanded.

Kyuhyun swallowed the lump in his throat, bracing himself from whatever reaction would spring from this.

“Yunho,” he finally choked out. “They said it’s Yunho.”

* * *

Yunho remembered the first illegal act he had ever performed. To this day, his family still makes fun of him for it.

He was 10 years old, and in an act of rebellion, he stole a chocolate bar from the local convenience store.

He had gotten away with it. He made it home without anyone stopping him. Yunho even went up to his room, ready to lay in bed with his latest comic book and eat his chocolate.

But the doorbell rang, and the first thing that crossed Yunho’s mind is that the police had come for him; that his evil deed had been caught on camera. The police would arrest him, and probably send him to one of those boot camps he heard about.

So Yunho panicked, begging his mother not to open the door as he came clean about what he had done.

His mother ended up laughing uncontrollably.

His father opened the door, revealing his confused grandparents on the other side.

Ten minutes later, Yunho’s father took the sobbing child back to the store to pay for his chocolate.

Yunho highly doubted that the reason he was here now was because of a chocolate bar he stole as a child.

So why was he here, sitting in an interrogation room, the only company he had being his own reflection from the one way mirror?

The officers said they needed his fingerprints, something Yunho gladly let them have in order to prove his innocence for...whatever they had against him.

At least they were nice enough to finally remove the handcuffs once they brought him into this room.

But leaving him in here for only God knows how long wasn’t exactly a friendly gesture either.

Finally, the door opened, revealing one of the officers that arrested him earlier.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” the man said. “I’m Officer Choi.”

Yunho swallowed. He wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. He was confused and tired. He just wanted to go home.

“Why am I here?” Yunho asked, hoping he would have the decency to finally answer this question. 

Officer Choi sat across from Yunho, placing a folder on the table. “Where were you between 8:30 and 9:15?” he asked.

Yunho shrugged. That man hadn't given an answer, but Yunho was hoping he was getting close to one. “I...I’m not sure,” he answered truthfully. “I think I was on my way to Changmin’s sometime after 8...but-”

“So you were at Changmin’s home between that time?” Officer Kim interrupted.

Yunho glared at him. “No. I never made it,” he replied. “There was an accident on the road, and after the accident cleared I got a flat tire. I was tired by then so I went back home.”

“Do you have anyone to back up your story?”

Of course he didn’t. Unless a few stalker fans were faithfully following him during that time? For the first time, Yunho wished they were.

“We have reason to believe that you are the one that attacked Changmin,” Officer Choi informed him.

At that moment, it felt as if someone had punched Yunho in the gut. “Excuse me?” he asked breathlessly. “Changmin was attacked?”

Officer Choi shook his head. “Acting was never your strong suit,” he said coldly. “You’re being charged with aggravated assault, and once Changmin wakes up, he’ll be able to tell us it was you who did this.”

Yunho sighed in relief.  _ Aggravated assault.  _ That means Changmin was still alive. But how bad was Changmin hurt? Why hasn't he woken up by now?

Officer Choi took Yunho’s relief to mean defeat.  “Why’d you do it, Yunho?”

“I didn’t hurt Changmin,” Yunho said. “I would never do that.”

Officer Choi shook his head. “Let’s review the evidence, shall we?” He opened his folder and began reading. “At exactly 8:12PM, you sent Changmin a text announcing that you were coming over. He told you not to, but you decided to ignore that, I guess.”

Yunho shook his head. “My phone broke. I didn’t even know he replied.”

“Security monitors show you leaving your apartment around that time,” Officer Choi continued, showing Yunho a picture of himself. “And we have another picture of you at Changmin’s building.” He directed Yunho to a second picture.

Yunho’s eyes widened at the second picture, and realized that the officer’s confusion was actually warranted.

The second picture showed a man wearing a green hoodie similar to his own. His face was covered by the hood of his sweater, but it didn’t help that this man appeared at Changmin's apartment right when Yunho was supposed to.

“And the damning piece of evidence that puts this all together,” Officer Kim said as he pulled out another picture and placed it in front of Yunho. 

Yunho grimaced. He recognized the object in the picture, except in this picture, it was covered with what Yunho could assume was Changmin’s blood.

“Ah,” Officer Kim said. “So you recognize it.”

Of course Yunho recognized it. It was a Luffy figurine from One Piece. The two of them had developed an obsession with that anime, so Yunho found it necessary to buy it for Changmin. While such a gift wouldn’t normally seem like a good weapon, this figurine stood on a marble base, and was made up of a combination of metal and plastic.

“Why-”

“This was found in the dumpster a block away from your building,” Officer Choi explained. “We ran the fingerprints into the system and guess whose name showed up?”

Yunho eyes widened. There was no way-

“I bought that statue for Changmin!” Yunho defended. None of this looked good and he couldn't felt the sudden panic welling up. “That’s probably why my prints are on it.”

“Now you’re just being desperate,” Officer Choi replied.

“But it’s true!” Yunho argued. “I would never hurt Changmin!”

“The evidence against you says otherwise,” Officer Choi said. He sighed. “Look, I know what happened, okay? The two of you got in a fight. You lost your temper. It got physical. Changmin got the jump on you and you grabbed the first thing you could, and started swinging.”

Yunho frantically shook his head, his eyes becoming wet with unshed tears. “That never happened. I didn’t do this. I didn’t even know Changmin was hurt until now.” Yunho paused as the tears finally fell from his eyes. “Changmin isn’t by himself, is he? He doesn’t like hospitals, and if he wakes up all alone he might get scared.”

“Last I heard, his family and Cho Kyuhyun were with him.”

At least the officer had the decency to answer that.

Yunho sighed in relief. At least that erased one of his concerns.

“When Changmin wakes up he’ll tell you it wasn’t me,” Yunho said confidently. “I promised to protect him with my life.” Yunho shuddered as he realized that he broke that promise. “I wouldn’t break that promise by being the one to hurt him!”

Officer Choi scoffed. “Sure,” he replied in disbelief.

“You have to believe me!” Yunho yelled, slamming his fist on the table. “Changmin means so much to me. I wouldn’t,” he buried his face in his hands “I wouldn’t do this to him.”

“What do you not understand?” Officer Kim asked. “All the evidence we have points to you.”

“Then I’ve been framed,” Yunho argued. “I’ve been framed or I just have really bad luck.”

Officer Choi sighed. Yunho wasn’t sure if the officer was having a change of heart, but with the way the man’s facial expression softened, Yunho could only hope so.

“You better hope that Changmin backs up your story,” Officer Choi said, standing up and gathering his folder of evidence. “Because this isn’t looking good for you.” 

Yunho watched as the officer took his leave. 

"I'm innocent," Yunho muttered, although he was sure no one was listening. "I'm innocent and when Changmin wakes up he'll say the same thing."

Yunho could only hope.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support you all gave me for the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one also


	3. How Can I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter was hard to write because netizens are so mean and I felt guilty trying talk bad about idols like they do...
> 
> On another note, thank you so much for the support you all have shown for this story! It is much appreciated!

_ His perfect image really was too good to be true.  _

_ How did everyone think Yunho was such a great leader? He splits up the band and forces Changmin to stay with him, then beats the poor guy half to death. What’s his problem? _

_ I can’t wait to hear an official statement from Yunho. I want to see what pathetic excuse he’ll come up this time. _

_ Yunho must have been this abusive the whole time. It’s starting to make sense why JYJ left. They probably couldn’t take it anymore. _

_ And to think I once felt sorry for Yunho. He should be locked up. _

_ Let him rot in prison. _

It was no surprise how fast Changmin’s hospitalization made the news. It was also no surprise that Yunho being named as the police’s prime suspect made the news just as fast. 

Paparazzi were savages. They crowded the hospital, hoping to get something out of Changmin’s family, friends, and even the hospital staff.

Kyuhyun hated how much those hounds were using this painful period for a nice paycheck.

What Changmin’s family needed right now was support, and peace to be with their son, not to be stalked and virtually attacked anytime they tried to step foot out of the hospital.

Changmin’s family was able to sneak out of the hospital almost an hour ago. They needed rest, showers, and real food. Kyuhyun knew they wouldn’t have left Changmin alone if Kyuhyun hadn’t promised to come straight to the hospital once he finished all his schedules. While the Shim family had the luxury of staying by Changmin’s side 24/7, Kyuhyun still had duties as an idol to carry out. But once he was finished, the Shims knew they could count on him to be here. The amount of time they were staying at the hospital couldn’t have been healthy for them, and they were finally convinced to go home, just for a little bit. 

Kyuhyun was glad he was able to get this quiet time with Changmin, even if the other one was still unconscious. He always found solace in Changmin after a hectic day, and these circumstances would not be an exception.

“Hey, Changmin,” Kyuhyun greeted as he sat at Changmin’s bedside. “Sorry I’m late.” He grabbed Changmin’s hand, squeezing it gently, hoping he’d get some type of response. 

As expected, Changmin didn’t react, but that didn’t stop Kyuhyun’s shoulders from slumping in disappointment. 

It had been almost three days since Changmin’s attack, and he had yet to show signs of waking. The night Changmin was brought in, the doctors did say it would possibly be a while before Changmin woke up, Kyuhyun remembered that. But everytime he walked through the hospital door, he still hoped Changmin would be staring back at him, asking why Kyuhyun wasn’t there when Changmin first opened his eyes.

Kyuhyun bit his lip. Playing this waiting game was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and he now understood what his loved ones went through after he miraculously survived that horrid car accident.

“Changmin,” he said with a sigh. “You really need to wake up.” Kyuhyun tightened his grip on Changmin’s hand. “Your family...they’re so worried about you. They can’t stop crying. Minho came to see you yesterday. I’ve never seen him cry so much either. And Yunho,” Kyuhyun swallowed the lump in his throat, “Yunho’s being held until trial or...until you wake up and say he didn’t do it...whichever one comes first, I guess.”

Yunho wasn’t granted with bail, which meant he would be detained until further notice. The judge concluded that Yunho had enough money and connections to make bail and leave the country if he wanted.

Kyuhyun had told the police about the knife the doctor had spoken about, but doing that had the opposite effect he was looking for. Instead of the police attempting to even look for the knife, they grilled Yunho for answers, trying to get a confession out of him in regards to what he did with the knife.

The Shim family had no idea what to believe. It didn’t make sense to them why Yunho would do something like this, but they also knew all the evidence the police had against him, and they couldn’t help but be conflicted.

They wanted justice for Changmin’s attack, but they didn’t know what option they were supposed to take.

Kyuhyun sighed. He had somehow dropped the mood in the room, and that was the opposite of what Changmin needed.

“Remember that arm wrestling challenge Hyukjae and Sungmin kept screaming about for months? All of us needed to blow off steam because of this-” Kyuhyun carelessly waved his hand in the air “-whole situation. They finally did it yesterday night. Sungmin won, and now Donghae owes me 500,000 won.”

Kyuhyun let out a weak laugh. “I recorded it. I’ll show it to you when you wake up. You won’t be able to stop laughing. I even have Hyukjae’s ten minute meltdown.”

He looked around the hospital room, noticing the various gifts left for Changmin. Flowers, stuffed animals, and greeting cards littered the room. “You got all these gifts,” Kyuhyun pointed out as he picked up a giant strawberry plushie from the bunch. “Are you really this popular?” He chuckled. “Have fun trying to get all of this into your apartment. I’m not helping you move any of this stuff.”

Kyuhyun sighed once more, staring at Changmin as he found himself at a loss for words.

A bitter laugh escaped Kyuhyun’s lips. Imagine that, Cho Kyuhyun having nothing to say. He was sure that somewhere, Heechul was laughing like a maniac.

The hospital door opened, causing Kyuhyun to jump. “Oh,” he said as he recognized the nurse that just walked in. “Hi.”  _ What was her name? Hyejin? No...Hyein... _

Hyein smiled at Kyuhyun. “Hello, Kyuhyun,” she replied. She made his way over to Changmin. “I take it he hasn’t woken up yet?”

Kyuhyun shook his head. “But I figure if I talk enough, it’ll annoy him so much that he’ll wake up just to slap me.”

Hyein laughed. “I hope I’m here to see that,” she joked as she started checking Changmin’s vitals. 

Kyuhyun watched as the nurse fiddled with various machines. He didn’t know what most of them were. He knew one was to monitor Changmin’s heart rate, another for monitoring the swelling in Changmin’s brain.

“Everything looks good,” Hyein said after a few minutes. “He seems to be recovering quite nicely.” 

Kyuhyun found himself sighing in relief at her announcement.

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun said with a smile. “He’ll pull through. He always does.”

* * *

Yunho swallowed the lump in his throat as his lawyer walked in. By the look on the woman’s face, Yunho knew she was about to tell him something upsetting.

All Yunho wanted right now was good news. Anything would satisfy that craving right now, even something as simple as his favorite ice cream shop having one of their special deals.

“Good evening, Yunho,” Jaehyun greeted as she sat across from him. She didn’t fail to notice the bruising on his jaw. “How are you today?”

Yunho shrugged. He was alive, so maybe that was a bonus. “I’m fine,” he answered. He’d feel  _ fantastic _ if he wasn’t wrongfully locked in here, though.

Jaehyun nodded. The police were being very stubborn and difficult to work with it. It seemed as though they had it out for Yunho, and nothing would change their minds. She believed Yunho was innocent, but the police really wanted someone to blame, and were desperate to close this case as quickly as possible.

“What happened?” Jaehyun asked, pointing to Yunho’s bruise.

“I fell,” Yunho answered, a little too quickly for Jaehyun’s liking.

“Is someone hurting you?” 

Yunho shook his head. “I fell,” he insisted. “No one’s hurting me, I just lost my footing.”

Jaehyun sighed. She knew Yunho was lying, but she also knew that trying to get the truth out of him would only make things harder for the both of them. “I’m working on getting you out of here,” she promised. “Just please hold on for me while we get everything figured out, okay?”

Yunho trusted Jaehyun; she was a friend of Hojun, and Yunho knew his best friend wouldn’t send him someone that they couldn’t depend on. If she said she was working hard, then he believed her.

“The police kept asking me about a knife Kyuhyun told them about,” Yunho pointed out. “What knife are they talking about?”

Jaehyun shook her head. “I don’t know much about that knife,” she answered truthfully. “What I do know is that the doctors noticed Changmin was hurt with one - it was a non lethal cut on Changmin’s arm and Kyuhyun told the police about it but…”

“They think it’s my knife,” Yunho finished with a sigh. How much harder was all of this going to get?

“This makes me wonder,” Jaehyun said. “If someone planned to kill Changmin, why didn’t he just use the knife?”

Yunho shook his head. He had no idea. Nothing had made sense these past three days. Yunho and Changmin got into one fight, and Yunho’s life seemed to take a horrible turn after that. He just really needed Changmin to wake up already.

“I want to see Changmin,” Yunho muttered, his gaze shifting to his lap. The words escaped from his mouth before he could stop them. He knew he sounded pathetic, and he already knew he’d be denied that request. But being here, locked away and not being able to see Changmin was driving him insane.

Jaehyun shook her head. “I really wish I could do that for you, but-”

“I know,” Yunho said with a nod. “Do...do the doctors know when he’ll wake up?”

“They don’t.”

“Will he be okay?” Yunho sounded so desperate, and Jaehyun felt a pain in her chest. “I need to know  _ something _ . It’s driving me crazy!”

“Okay, Yunho,” Jaehyun said. “I don’t know a lot, but I’ll tell you what I know now, and try to get more information for you. Is that okay?”

Yunho nodded. “Please.”

“Their biggest worry is Changmin’s head injury,” Jaehyun began. “The staff says Changmin’s chances are really good, but they’re still worried about possible brain damage.”

“Brain...damage?” Yunho asked. His throat tightened as he attempted to speak. He started shaking his head frantically. “No. No. Changmin can’t-”

“His chances are still good,” Jaehyun emphasized. “They saw swelling in his brain but they’ve been giving him drugs to reduce it, and they’ve been helping. Once Changmin wakes up we can get a final answer. But Yunho, please don’t focus on the negative. Changmin will be fine.”

A tear fell from Yunho’s eye and rolled down his cheek. “Changmin...will be okay?”

Jaehyun nodded.

Yunho laughed. It was forced, almost sounding like it was mixed with a sob. A lone tear fell from Yunho’s eye as he looked down and started playing with his sleeve. “‘Just go home if you’re not going to take this seriously’,” he muttered. He didn’t notice the offended look on Jaehyun’s face as he continued. “When we were trainees with SM...That’s what I first said to Changmin when I met him. I saw him, looking so lost and confused. He was adorable.” Yunho looked up to meet Jaehyun’s gaze. “I thought he would quit, I really thought he would quit.”

“But he didn’t.”

Yunho shook his head. “He didn’t,” he repeated. “He found a way to prove me wrong everyday. He always trained so hard. He had this...determined look in his eyes everytime. He was never going to give up, and he did everything in his power to prove it to me.”

“And he still hasn’t given up,” Jaehyun said. “Changmin will be okay, because that’s just who he is.”

“I need him to be okay,” Yunho muttered. “He...he means so much to me. I can’t lose him.” 

Yunho buried his face in his hands. “I can’t believe any of this happening. It all still feels like a bad dream.”

“Bad dreams end, Yunho,” Jaehyun reminded him. “This will end. I’m sure of it.”

* * *

There was this weird beeping noise.

He hated it. It was too loud, and it wouldn’t stop. He just wanted it to stop.

_ Turn it off,  _ he begged.  _ Please turn it off. _

Except he couldn’t get himself to open his mouth and speak. Everything seemed too hard for him, including doing something as simple as open his eyes.

And God, why did everything hurt?

A pathetic moan echoed from the back of his throat.

“Changmin?” A distant voice said. It sounded so familiar, but why couldn’t he place a name to the voice? 

“Changmin. If you can hear me, open your eyes. Please.”

He moaned again, trying to obey the voice. 

_ I’ll open my eyes; just give me a second. _

He felt a hand grab his own. And Changmin, trying as hard as he could, wanted to squeeze the hand in response, but all he could manage was a few of his fingers twitching before he gave up. Changmin knew he should be concerned with how weak he felt, but he didn’t even have enough energy for that.

There was another voice, Changmin didn’t recognize the other voice. But there was a conversation going on without him right now, and Changmin swore he had heard his own name a few times.

He hated when people talked about him like he wasn’t there.

He tried to speak, wanting to get their attention. But a weak gasp escaped his lips instead. 

He felt something touching his forehead, when suddenly, his eye was forced open to meet with a piercing light. Changmin hissed as he tried to flinch away. His other eye was forcefully opened and given the same treatment, causing Changmin to moan in pain.

“Changmin,” the new voice said. “Do you think you can open your eyes for us?”

Changmin moaned, trying with all his might to drag his eyes open, even just a little.

“Good job,” the voice said once Changmin successfully opened his eyes to slits.

He blinked several times, realizing the dim lighting in the room. It took several seconds for Changmin’s vision to clear up. Once everything came into focus he was able to see two people  hovering over him. Changmin looked to his right, recognizing the familiar mop of brown hair. 

_ Kyuhyun. That’s Kyuhyun. _

He was still too tired to speak, but he instantly felt his body relax at the smile Kyuhyun wore on his face.

“Hello, Changmin,” Dr. Han greeted, forcing his attention away from Kyuhyun. “It’s nice to see you’re awake.”

Changmin was glad the doctor was speaking slowly; he was sure with how cloudy his mind was, he wouldn’t have been able to understand otherwise.

“Blink twice if you can understand me,” Dr. Han commanded.

Changmin obeyed, slowly closing his eyes twice before giving the doctor a confused look.

“Good job, Changmin,” the doctor responded. “You’re in the hospital right now.”

Hospital. That explained...barely anything really. Changmin had too many questions flowing through his slow mind right now. He glanced at Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was the only recognizable thing here, and Changmin couldn’t help but be grateful that he was here.

“-ngmin.”

Changmin flinched, looking towards the doctor again. He hadn’t even noticed that the older man was calling for him.

“I just need to do a few simple tests, okay?” Dr. Han said. He directed Changmin’s attention to the pen-looking object in his hand. It took Changmin a while to realize it might have been the small flashlight that assaulted him earlier. “Follow this with your eyes, okay?” 

It took a few seconds for Changmin’s mouth to form the correct response. “...kay,” he replied.

He moved the flashlight from left to right, and Changmin was successfully able to follow it. The doctor repeated the motions until he was satisfied. “Good job, Changmin,” he said with a smile.

The doctor held up three fingers. “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”

Changmin sighed. He was already tired, and just wanted to go back to sleep. Which begged the question, who long had he been asleep before? Changmin felt like he hadn’t slept in weeks, but he knew that was impossible. So why couldn’t he-

“Changmin,” the doctor said. Changmin wasn’t too sure, but the doctor almost sounded afraid. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Changmin stared at the man’s fingers.  _ Three fingers. You’re holding up three fingers.  _

Changmin tried to answer, but his words came out in a series of garbled syllables.

_ What was that? _

“Changmin?” Dr. Han asked. “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”

Changmin tried again, getting the same pathetic result as before.

“Uh...Dr Han,” Kyuhyun said, his voice shaking a bit.

“It’s okay,” Dr. Han said. He looked to Changmin again. “Why don’t you show me how many fingers I’m holding up instead? Use your hand and hold up as many fingers as I’m holding up.”

Changmin sighed again, bracing himself to force his body to move. He brought his left hand off the bed, trying not to notice how much it was shaking. Changmin brought his thumb and pinky finger together, holding up three fingers.

“You’re doing great, Changmin,” Dr. Han encouraged. He pointed to Kyuhyun. “Can you tell me his name?”

“...K...Ky...K-” Changmin groaned in frustration. Why couldn’t he talk? He looked to Dr. Han. Changmin wasn’t going to hide his panic, not when he couldn’t do something as simple as talk.

“Changmin, speech problems are common after head injuries, okay,” Dr. Han reassured. “There’s no need to panic right now.”

_ Easy for him to say! He wasn’t the one waking up in a hospital to discover that he couldn’t talk! _

Changmin noticed the beeping sound in the room becoming faster, and through his foggy mind he realized that the beeping matched his own erratic heartbeat.

“Changmin,” Kyuhyun said gently. “Shh. It’s okay.” 

Changmin clung to Kyuhyun’s voice. 

Changmin closed his eyes as Kyuhyun continued to mutter various reassurances. After what felt like hours later, Changmin felt his heart slow down to a normal rate.

Once Changmin got himself to calm down, he noticed that his throat was dry. He slowly moved his fingers to tap Kyuhyun’s wrist, and thankfully, Kyuhyun was quick to catch on.

“Changmin?” Kyuhyun said. “What’s wrong?”

_ Water. I want water. _

But nothing came out of Changmin’s mouth; nothing that made sense anyway.

Changmin squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. Why was this happening? He opened his eyes, trying his hardest to concentrate on what he needed. If he could get himself to say just one word…

“...Wah...wah...” Changmin groaned. 

“Water...?” Kyuhyun guessed, causing Changmin to smile. “You want water?”

Kyuhyun grabbed the pitcher and glass from the bedside table.

“Take small sips,” Dr. Han commanded as Kyuhyun brought a straw to Changmin’s lips.

Changmin didn’t realize how great water tasted until the water entered his mouth. He drank greedily, ignoring the doctor’s reminders to drink slow. But then Kyuhyun suddenly took the straw away, and Changmin let out a whine in protest.

“That’s enough for now, Changmin,” Dr. Han said. “Does your head hurt?”

Changmin slowly nodded, the simple act causing his head to pound even more.

“This will help, okay?” Dr. Han said as he brought a needle to Changmin’s IV.

He felt something cold flowing into his arm, the intense pounding of his head dulled in only a few seconds. Changmin was surprised at how quickly the medicine came into effect. He sighed as felt his eyelids become heavy.

He felt a hand on his cheek, most likely Kyuhyun’s. “Go to sleep, Chwang. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Finally, a command that Changmin had no problem following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you all liked this chapter better than I did XD but finally! Changmin's awake


	4. Here I Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep on forgetting to say this but here's my tumblr: http://fly-tenshi.tumblr.com/ so let's chat, okay?

Yunho wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he got a random visit from the attorney prosecuting his case, along with Officer Choi, the man who arrested him.

As they sat in front of him, somber looks on their faces, he at least knew not to expect good news.

“Shouldn’t Jaehyun be here?” Yunho asked. He knew his lawyer had specifically said not to talk to these men without her presence. After all, these men seemed to have it out for Yunho. Anything he said could be misinterpreted to further their case. The last thing Yunho wanted to do was further his accusations by saying anything that could be taken out of context.

Officer Choi shook his head. “We have some news to deliver,” he announced.

Prosecutor Kim cleared his throat. 

For some reason, the action made Yunho shiver.

“We don’t know how to tell you this,” the prosecutor said with a sigh.

“Tell...tell me what?” Yunho asked. He braced himself as he waited for an answer.

“Changmin passed away this morning,” Officer Choi announced, getting straight to the point. “I’m sorry.”

No matter how much Yunho had tried to prepare himself, it wouldn't be enough. Not for this news. It didn’t take long for Yunho to react. In just a few seconds, tears were falling from his eyes as he frantically shook his head. “No,” he shakily replied. “No. Not Changmin. Changmin couldn’t...he wouldn’t..he-”

“Yunho,” Prosecutor Kim said. “Have you heard of deep vein thrombosis?”

Yunho shook his head, placing a hand over his mouth to muffle his pathetic sobs.

“It’s a type of blood clot,” he answered. “But this one is especially dangerous, because the clot can travel to the lungs and damage them. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to Changmin. The clot wasn’t discovered on time and-”

The attorney’s words were cut off by Yunho’s cries. He buried his palms into his eyes, hoping and praying to wake up from this terrible nightmare. Changmin couldn’t have died. He wouldn’t abandon Yunho like this.

“Yunho,” Officer Choi began, his voice was surprisingly gentle. “We’re telling you this because the blood clot was a complication of his head injury.”

Yunho couldn’t think straight, so he had no idea where the officer was going with that statement. He was too busy trying to get air into his own lungs. 

“Your charges have been changed from aggravated assault to manslaughter.”

The words registered in Yunho’s mind, but he was too focused on the fact that Changmin, someone he loved and needed so much, was now dead. He was gone, and never coming back.

Yunho wondered when the room would stop spinning.

“We know this would be a difficult time for you,” Prosecutor Kim cut in. “So we’ve decided to cut you a deal. We know this whole thing was unintended. And if you sign your confession of you admitting to hurting Changmin, we’ll only make you serve two years. It’s a good deal, Yunho.”

Something snapped inside Yunho at that very moment. He shook his head in refusal. “I didn’t hurt Changmin,” he said, his voice surprisingly strong for someone who was in the middle of a breakdown.

“You can’t pass up a deal like this,” Prosecutor Kim argued. “Once you’re found guilty, you’ll be in prison for 25 years. Your entire youth will be gone.”

_ Changmin’s gone. What’s the point anymore? _

“Changmin,” Yunho sobbed, his hand clutching his chest as his heart beat faster and faster. “Changmin’s dead.”

“It’s not too late to do right by him,” Officer Choi reassured. “No one intended for this to happen, we know that. But Changmin needs to rest in peace now. And you can help.”

“I don’t feel well,” Yunho muttered, his breath noticeably getting faster with each second.

Officer Choi guessed that Yunho wasn’t hearing him anymore. But he continued to try anyway, hoping some part of his message would get across. “Two years is a very short time, Yunho,” he said gently. “After those two years, you spend the rest of your time making it up to Changmin. But you can’t do that spending 25 years here. For Changmin’s sake, just take the deal.”

Yunho looked at the two older men, not even trying to stop his tears.

“So what do you say?” Prosecutor Kim asked. “Do we have a deal?”

* * *

His head was hurting.

Why did it hurt so much?

‘Worst headache of his life’ wouldn’t be a good enough description to describe the pain he was in. It felt as if something was hammering from the inside of his skull, and he would do anything to get it to stop. 

That beeping wasn’t helping either.

He also was getting a strange feeling of deja vu. That didn’t make any sense.

“Changmin?” he heard a voice say.

Through the fog in his brain, Changmin tried to identify the source. The voice was so familiar; it made Changmin feel safe.

That was weird. Why would he be craving safety of all things?

“Changmin? Can you hear me?”

It sounded as if the person talking had been crying only seconds before.

What was wrong?

“Changmin,” a deeper voice said. “Come on, son. You woke up for Kyuhyun. Now it’s our turn.”

It took a few seconds, but Changmin was able to realize that it was his parents speaking to him. Images of their faces flashed through Changmin’s mind as he heard them continue to try to wake him up.

Changmin tried to speak, he tried to tell them that he would wake up soon. He wanted to tell his mother to stop crying for whatever reason because everything was alright and she had nothing to worry about.

He also wanted to ask when Kyuhyun was even here.

He struggled to open his mouth and speak. “Mm...mah...mmmom.” What came out of his mouth almost sounded like a drunken slur.

“It’s okay, Changmin,” his mother said softly. He could feel her gently playing with his hair, something she used to do whenever she wanted to make him feel better.

This felt so wrong. Why was she comforting him when it should be the other way around?

He struggled to open his eyes, this time being a little more successful than before. He took a shaky breath before he finally managed to open his eyes.

He shut them instantly at the blinding light, letting a whine escape.

“Easy, Changmin,” his father said.

Changmin tried again, blinking several times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

The two blurry figures in front of him sharpened to reveal his parents hovering over him.

His mother continued playing with his hair. Through her red, swollen cheeks, her wet eyes, and the exhausted look painted on her face, she smiled. “Changmin,” she whispered, right before tears started to fall from her eyes once more. 

Changmin looked to his dad, his eyes wide as he tried to figure out what was wrong before he noticed the distressed look on the older man’s face as well. 

It only took a few seconds for his mind to register that was in the hospital, and the reason his parents were so upset is because their own son was a patient.

His mother was crying because he was in here. 

Changmin slowly raised his hand off the bed, surprised that such an action took so much effort. He brought his hand to his mother’s face, despite how shaky his hand was. 

His mother smiled again as she held his hand tightly against her cheek.

“It’s good to see you awake, Changmin,” his father said with a smile. “I’m disappointed that the first time you woke up, you decided to do that  _ after  _ we weren’t here to see it.”

Changmin scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Wuh...wwwhat...” he attempted, slight panicked at that fact that he couldn’t speak.

Even in his drowsy state, he didn’t fail to notice the looks of concern flash on his parents’ faces. 

“Oh, Changmin,” his mom said, her grip on his hand becoming even tighter. “You don’t remember waking up last night, do you?”

Changmin slowly shook his head. He had a lot more questions now, and something told him they would just keep piling up at this point.

Changmin noticed his father moving closer to his bedside, grabbing a foreign device and pressing a button.

“I’m calling your doctor, okay?” he told Changmin, noticing that he was under his son’s watchful eye. “There’s nothing to be worried about. We were supposed to call him in the second you woke up.”

His mother placed Changmin’s hand back on the bed when she noticed his grip slacking. 

Changmin concentrated on his mother, noticing that her tears finally stopped falling. 

“Mah...mah…”

This was so frustrating.

“Ah, Changmin,” a new voice said, causing all three people in the room to look towards the doorway. “I’m sure you don’t remember me. I’m Doctor Han. How are you feeling this afternoon?” he asked as he approached Changmin’s bedside.

His father quickly cut in. “He’s still having trouble speaking,” he explained.

Dr. Han nodded, noticing the fearful look on Changmin’s face. “Don’t worry, Changmin,” he reassured. “With the extent of your injuries, your condition was expected. Your speech will return. But for now, we want to focus on your physical healing.”

_ My speech will come back? When? _

“You just woke up, but I know you have a lot of questions,” Dr. Han continued. “You seem much more lucid than when you last woke up, so I’m just going to give you a brief overview, okay?”

Changmin nodded. “Oh….kay,” he managed.

“You were brought in due to a head injury, causing a fracture in your skull, and swelling in your brain.”

Changmin grimaced. That probably explained the headache.

“The swelling in your brain has caused what’s known as ‘aphasia’,” he further explained. “The region of the brain involved with speech was affected by your injury. As I said earlier, we expect that your speech will return, but we will also have our speech therapist come and see you too. Do you understand everything I’ve told you so far?”

Changmin nodded. Fractured skull. Swelling. Aphasia. Got it.

“Don’t be discouraged. Your rate of recovery has been extraordinary. A lot of us were surprised that you even woke up already.”

Changmin knew the doctor said those words as a reassurance. Changmin wasn’t sure how he should react to it, though. By the looks of everything, he was grateful to be alive. But there were so many unknowns at the moment, and it terrified him.

Dr. Han sighed, knowing that he was about to venture into a potentially sensitive topic. “I need to ask you a question,” he told Changmin. “Do you remember the events leading up to your injury?”

Changmin had to think hard about that question. Random images flashed through his head as he tried to piece together whatever made sense.

Waiting for Kyuhyun and Yunho, a green hoodie, a knife, someone holding him down and leaning closer to whisper something in- 

Changmin’s eyes widened.

He barely noticed the beeping in the room getting faster and faster.

“It’s alright, Changmin,” his mother said as she grabbed his hand once more. “You’re safe now.”

Changmin sighed, slightly relieved at his mother’s words. He was safe.

It dawned on Changmin that it was a miracle that he was even still alive. He was supposed to die that night. He remembered bracing himself for what might have been his last minutes alive before he began to wonder how he survived in the first place. 

Changmin closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. 

There was something tugging at the back of his mind. He was forgetting something; something important. 

“We’re so grateful for Kyuhyun for finding you,” his father said. He turned to Dr. Han. “And we’re thankful for you too. We don’t know what we would have done if we lost our son.”

Dr. Han smiled. “I shouldn’t take all the credit,” he replied. “Especially since you have a remarkable son.”

Changmin felt himself blushing at the exchange. 

“If you don’t have any other questions,” Dr. Han said. “I’ll take my leave so you three can spend some time together. A nurse will be coming here in a few minutes to administer a dose of pain medication. Changmin will feel much better after that.”

“Thank you so much,” Changmin’s mother said to the doctor right before he walked out the door. “Thank you for everything.”

“I’ll leave messages for your sisters,” his father announced once the doctor was gone. He pulled out his phone and started typing away. “They’re at work. They’ll be devastated that you woke up when they weren’t here... _ again.  _ Changmin...your timing always was impeccable,” he teased.

“K-K-Kyu…” Changmin sighed. Until he got his speech back, life was going to be extra frustrating.

“Kyuhyun?” his mother guessed.

Changmin nodded. “Sss...Safe?”

“Is Kyuhyun safe?” his mother asked, earning a nod from Changmin. “Oh, honey. He’s just fine. Everyone is fine. We’re all just worried about you right now.”

Changmin sighed in relief. For a brief moment, Changmin was worried that Kyuhyun had been hurt that night as well. He wasn’t sure why his mind would play a horrible game like that, but it was relieving to know that Kyuhyun was okay.

But that’s when Changmin remembered something else from that night, and he hated himself for not recalling it faster.

“Yuuu...Yu…” Changmin struggled. He hated this. He needed to speak.

He needed to know where Yunho was.

“Take it easy, Changmin,” his father commanded. “I understand this is stressful. You’ve just woken up so don’t push yourself so hard.”

Changmin ignored him. How could he not be stressed at a time like this? “Y-Y-Yuuu...Y-Yun...”

“Yunho?” his father asked. “Are you trying to say ‘Yunho’?”

Changmin nodded, despite the fact that the action caused his skull to further pound.

“Oh, baby,” his mother said with a sigh. “You’re safe now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Changmin shook his head. 

What was she talking about?

“Ww...www...wh’r’s….Yu...Yu…” Talking was so difficult, and Changmin was sure that his panic wasn't helping.

“Yunho can’t touch you,” his father said. “He’s...he’s in jail right now. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

A sob escaped Changmin’s lips. Jail? What was going on?

He shook his head again. He had to concentrate. He had to get some kind of message across. “N-no...Y-Yun-”

The door opened once more, this time revealing the nurse that was promised just minutes ago. 

Changmin practically shot daggers from his eyes as she approached his bed.

“It’s time for Changmin’s medicine,” she announced with a smile. She uncapped the syringe and inserted it into Changmin’s IV. “You’ll be able to rest better with this also. You'll need plenty of that these next few days.”

His parents thanked her as she finished up and took her leave.

Changmin sighed. He felt the effects of the medication almost instantly. The painful beating in his skull dulled to a mild pulse.

“Everything’s fine now,” his father said. 

Changmin didn’t feel like trying to respond.

How could any of what was going on be considered “fine”?

* * *

“What do you mean we can’t see him?” Hojun asked, his voice raising in anger as he spoke to the prison guard.

The guard sighed. “I already told you,” he said. “He suffered a massive breakdown and hasn’t been responding to anyone since then.” He felt himself shrinking as the two visitors glared at him. He could understand their anger, but he also had a job to do. He had witnessed Yunho’s breakdown, and knew there was no way Yunho could have visitors after that episode.

“Well what happened?” Jaehyun asked.

“I’m not allowed to give that information,” the guard responded.

Jaehyun reached into her purse, pulling out a badge. “I’m his lawyer and I need to see him,” she said, flashing the badge in his face. “Tell me what happened.”

The guard sighed once more. “An officer and the prosecutor of his case came to see him,” he confessed. 

Hojun and Jaehyun’s eyes widened at the news. What did those two possible do to make Yunho react like this? And why would they visit him without giving Yunho a chance to have his lawyer present?

“Let us in,” Jaehyun demanded.

The guard immediately obeyed, allowing the two to be checked in and led into the visitor’s room.

Jaehyun noticed it took longer than usual for Yunho to be brought in, and she figured it had everything to do with Yunho’s fragile state of mind.

Once Yunho walked through the door, Jaehyun and Hojun froze.

Yunho looked as if he had been to Hell and back.

“Yunho,” Hojun gasped, his eyes wide as he took in his friend’s state.

Yunho didn’t say anything as he sat down across from them. He didn’t acknowledge their presence in anyway. It was painful to see Yunho’s usually bright face looking dull and lifeless. He looked like a walking corpse. The old bruise on his face stood out even more against his pale skin.

“What happened?” Hojun asked.

Yunho choked, and Hojun regretted asking his question as he saw tears falling from Yunho’s eyes.

Jaehyun and Hojun exchanged glances. They had news to deliver, and wondered if it would be a good idea to share it.

Hojun thought this would probably be the best time to share it. If his news didn’t get Yunho out of whatever this was, then nothing would.

“We need to tell you something, Yunho,” Hojun said. “It’s about Changmin.”

“I know,” Yunho croaked.

The sound of his voice shocked the two of them.

“You...you know?” Jaehyun asked. “How?”

Yunho shivered. “They...they told me.”

Now Jaehyun and Hojun were even more confused. “They?” she asked. “Officer Choi and Prosecutor Kim?”

Yunho nodded dumbly.

“What exactly did they tell you?” Jaehyun asked.

Yunho swallowed thickly. He didn’t want to say it. He  _ couldn’t  _ say it.

“Yunho,” Hojun pleaded. “Talk to us, please. What happened?”

Yunho laughed, except there was no happiness or humor in the sound. It was full of bitterness. “What’s there to talk about?” he snapped. “Changmin’s dead and you two expect me to just act like nothing happened and-”

“Whoa, hold on,” Hojun interrupted. “Is that what they told you? That Changmin died?”

Jaehyun started shaking her head. “He’s not dead, Yunho,” she said. “It’s quite the opposite. Changmin woke up last night. The doctors are really amazed at his recovery so far.”

Yunho’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “He’s...what?” he whispered. Today had been one cruel joke. He wouldn’t be able to handle it if this wasn’t true.

“Changmin’s alive,” Hojun replied. “Why would they tell you that?”

Jaehyun sighed. “When they told you Changmin died, did they offer to reduce your sentence?”

Yunho nodded slowly.

“Yunho, they tried to force a confession out of you,” Jaehyun explained. “This has happened several times before, where the prosecution tells the suspect that their victim died to get a reaction out of them.”

Yunho didn’t reply. He was probably trying to get his mind to comprehend everything.

“You didn’t give them a confession, did you?” she asked.

Yunho shook his head, his eyes watering up. He wasn’t going to reveal that his visit with the officer and attorney ended with Yunho having a breakdown so major that he had to be escorted back to his cell.

Jaehyun sighed in relief. “Good,” she replied. “That’s good.”

“Is Changmin really alive?” Yunho asked.

“He is,” Jaehyun answered.

Yunho couldn’t stop the tears of relief that poured from his eyes.

“Really?” he whispered, not trusting his voice.

Jaehyun smiled as she nodded her head. “He’s alive, Yunho,” she said. 

Yunho turned away, slightly embarrassed at his current state. He wiped the tears from his eyes, hoping to regain some of his composure. 

He was utterly failing.

Tears couldn’t stop flowing from his eyes no matter how much Yunho wanted them to stop. 

“Oh, Yunho,” Hojun sighed. He got out of his chair and went to Yunho’s side of the table, kneeling down and giving his broken friend a hug. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. This has already been a stressful time for you.”

Yunho returned the hug, holding Hojun as tight as possible. 

Yunho’s sobs were dying down just a little bit. It felt like he could breathe again.

Yunho reluctantly ended the hug a few moments later, still feeling ashamed of acting the way he did in front of Hojun and Jaehyun. “What about his brain?” he asked. The possibility of Changmin suffering from brain damage was still plaguing his thoughts. Though at this point, he knew that whatever damage had been done was still better than him being dead. Yunho shuddered at the thought. “Will he be okay?”

“He’s been in and out,” Hojun answered as he returned to his chair. “But he will be fine. Changmin’s a fighter, and he’s been proving that this whole time.”

Yunho smiled proudly. If it hadn’t been for the dark circles underneath his red eyes, Yunho would have looked like he had been happy this whole time.

“Changmin is okay,” Yunho muttered.

Jaehyun nodded. “He is,” she said. “The doctor recommended that Changmin should not undergo any stress for some time, so the police can’t take a statement from him yet.”

Yunho nodded. “I understand,” he replied. He already knew the implication of that statement. “Changmin’s healing is most important to me right now anyway.”

“And you getting out is important to the rest of us,” Jaehyun replied. “I’ll get you out of here, okay? You can count on me.”

* * *

Changmin frowned as the news played on the TV.

Headline after headline appeared, all about Yunho “attacking” Changmin.

It angered Changmin, because he knew Yunho didn’t hurt him. There was no way Yunho would do such a thing, no matter how angry Changmin succeeded in pissing him off. His brain might be messed up right now, but he was certain that the face he saw in his memories was not Yunho’s.

He wasn’t confused, he knew that much.

He sighed as he remembered the last thing he said to Yunho’s face. 

Yunho just kept getting hurt by Changmin time after time, and now, Yunho was in jail because of Changmin. 

Changmin always wondered how many times he would have a hand in making Yunho’s life exponentially harder.

The number seemed infinite at this point.

“Changmin?” his father’s alert voice startled him. 

He turned his head to the small couch in the room, where his parents had fallen asleep a few hours before. He’s surprised to see his father standing up, and Changmin wondered how he wasn’t able to notice his father waking up at all.

“You shouldn’t be watching this,” he father said as he approached Changmin’s bedside. “It will only aggravate you for no reason.”

Changmin scoffed.  _ No reason? Yunho’s in jail and getting his name tarnished and you call that ‘no reason’? _

Changmin turned back to the TV, a clip from their last performance was currently playing, although the audio was replaced by the news anchor’s voice.

Changmin wondered if being on stage like that would ever be possible.

When the band split up, the two of them were apprehensive about their return. They knew most of the fans were upset, and returning as a duo seemed hopeless.

Miraculously, they beat all odds and returned to the stage.

Now, Changmin wasn’t so sure they could do that again.

His father sighed, realizing his son wasn’t going to stop watching this anytime soon. “Changmin,” he said, this time his voice was stern. “Look at me.”

Changmin couldn’t get himself to disobey. He turned to face his father, though his attention was still split between the older man and the TV.

“We told you all the evidence the police have against Yunho,” his father pointed out. “And you were hurt very bad. The doctors were worried there would be problems with memory loss.”

Changmin bit his lip. He already knew where his father was going with this.

“How can you be absolutely certain Yunho didn’t do this?”

Changmin wasn’t sure how he was supposed to answer that. He was considered unreliable, because he currently had the vocabulary skills of an infant, and suffered from a traumatic brain injury.

But Changmin would do anything to prove it wasn’t Yunho.

As many times as he painfully replayed the bits and pieces he remembered of that night in his head over and over again, he saw the same face, and it wasn’t Yunho’s.

Changmin didn’t realize how deep in his head he was until he felt something fall into his lap, causing him to jump.

In his lap sat a small dry erase board.

He smiled. Finally, something to communicate with.

“I can only go by what I know,” his father said as he handed Changmin a black marker to write with as well.

Changmin took the marker from his father and ripped the cap off. He noticed how shaky his hands were as he started writing his response.

**_Then you know that Yunho is one of the most gentle people we know. You know how much he cares about me. You know how much I mean to him. You know he’d rather die than see me get hurt._ **

Changmin paused. It was so strange to him that he could perfectly write out his thoughts, but if he were to try to say this out loud, it would sound like garbage.

His father sighed again. “But we also know how stressed out Yunho has been,” he replied. “We know that Yunho’s drinking had gotten so bad that there were some nights you would stay up cleaning up his vomit and making sure he didn’t die of alcohol poisoning. We know that you two had been fighting so much that you two couldn’t live together anymore.”

Changmin shook his head. His dad didn’t get it.  _ No one  _ gets it. Yunho loved him dearly. He didn’t think it was fair that his father brought up Yunho’s drinking. Yunho never hurt him while he was drunk, let alone hurt him while he was sober. If Changmin could, he’d scream it until someone believed him.

**_When are the police coming to take my statement?_ **

“Once your speech improves,” his father answered.

That wasn’t the answer Changmin was hoping for, because what if his speech took too long to come back?

What if it never came back at all?

Changmin shivered as his mind provided him with the outcome of his speech never coming back. He needed to get his speech back. How could he be an idol without it? How could he make sure that Yunho’s name was cleared? What if Yunho never gets out of jail? 

“Changmin!” his father called to him.

He had somehow failed to notice his father leaning closer so that their faces were only a few centimeters apart now. He was staring in front of Changmin in concern.

Changmin was forced out of the darkness of his thoughts. His father looked terrified, and Changmin had an idea why.

His heart was thumping against his chest, the beeping of heart monitor matching the racing speed of his own heart.

“Take a few deep breaths,” his father said softly, placing his hand on Changmin's shoulders. He distanced himself as Changmin tried to get himself back together.

Changmin nodded as he obeyed the command, trying to force his heart beat back to normal with several deep breaths, though many of them were shaky at best.

Changmin didn’t realize just how fast his heart was beating until a nurse walked into the room, a concerned look plastered on her face. Changmin was too embarrassed to look her in the eye as she asked if everything was alright.

“I think he’s okay,” his father answered. “He just got a little upset.”

Changmin was glad that the nurse accepted that answer and left, because he really didn’t want anyone else in the room right now.

“Changmin. Look at me.”

Changmin shifted his gaze from his lap to his dad’s eyes. 

His father sighed as he noticed Changmin’s wet eyes. He wrapped his arms around Changmin and pulled him into a hug.

“I know everything seems so scary right now,” he began, running his fingers through Changmin’s hair. “But this will all get better. I know it will.”

All Changmin could do was wish for his father’s optimism to rub off on him, even just a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I feel like this chapter was written badly. It's been a CRAZY month for me. But you all have been so amazing, and I didn't like the fact that I kept you all waiting longer than you were supposed to be. But, I hope you still enjoyed this chapter.


	5. Scream

_ “So far, there have been no developments on the case against Jung Yunho. Although our sources confirm that Shim Changmin is now awake, we are not sure if and when he will address the accusations against Yunho.” _

“Such a shame,” the middle-aged man said, shaking his head. “What could have caused him to snap like that?” He sat at a table in the middle of the bar, he and his employees gathered together as they hung on the news anchor’s every word.

Park Dongchul glanced at the TV before continuing to wipe down the tables. His boss’ eyes were glued to the TV, his coworkers’ mouths hanging open as speculations about Yunho’s accusations continued to come about.

Dongchul had nothing to see. The same thing had been playing on every channel for over a week.

They had a business to run, after all. It seemed the other men here forgot that. 

“Maybe we don’t know the full story yet,” Daesuk guessed. “This whole idol life, it’s all smoke and mirrors. I’m sure they like to create drama just to get a rise out of the public.”

Dongchul placed the napkin dispenser on the table, a little too forcefully for his colleagues’ liking. The guys jumped at the sound, their full attention now on him. Dongchul didn’t notice their reaction. “Or maybe Yunho was never a good guy in the first place,” he retorted. “Maybe he’s just getting everything he deserves.”

“Ooh,” another one of his coworkers teased. “What did Yunho do to piss  _ you _ off?” He got up from his chair and rushed to Dongchul, elbowing him in the arm. “Hey, don’t worry. You can tell us.”

“Sit back down, Ilsung,” their boss commanded. “You know Dongchul hates everyone richer than him. If it had been any other idol right now, he’d say the same thing.”

Dongchul rolled his eyes at the comment before everyone started looking to the TV once more.

More clips of Yunho on stage flashed on the screen as the anchor talked about his past achievements. Dongchul glanced at the TV and scoffed, because those achievements meant nothing now. There was no way Yunho’s career could bounce back after this.

“Dongchul almost looks like Yunho,” the valet, Jinwoo, mentioned. “In another life, maybe Dongchul could have been a member of DBSK.”

Dongchul curled his fingers into a tight fist.

“Girls only come to this bar because of Dongchul’s handsome face,” his boss said. “That’s why I can’t fire him. He’s bringing me a lot of business.”

_ “A trial date has not been set,”  _ the anchor continued.  _ “We have been informed that they will not proceed until a statement is received from Changmin. We are unaware as to why Changmin has not been able to provide his statement to the police yet.” _

Dongchul tilted his head in confusion. Ever since it was confirmed that Changmin had woken up, Dongchul wondered why Changmin hadn’t attempted to clear Yunho’s name. Granted, the media didn’t know everything - Changmin had security monitoring the wing he was residing in, just in case any bold fans came to visit him. The crowd of paparazzi surrounding the perimeter of the hospital got very minimal information, so the public knew next to nothing about Changmin’s condition.

While the rest of the world had heaved a sigh of relief at finding out that Changmin had woken up, Dongchul’s body couldn’t help but go rigid.

“That _ is _ kind of weird though,” Daesuk pointed out. “Changmin has been awake for a while now. Shouldn’t he have spoken to the police already?”

“You’re talking about our police,” Jinwoo pointed out. “They probably don’t even know that Changmin’s awake.”

“They probably don’t even know Changmin was assaulted,” Ilsung added with a shrug.

“Maybe Changmin’s afraid to speak up,” their boss guessed. “This whole incident is just one giant mystery. Who really knows what happened that night?”

Another possibility crossed Dongchul’s mind.

Maybe Changmin didn’t even remember the attack.

Dongchul bit his lip as the possibility ran through his head. If Changmin didn’t remember that night right now, how long would it take before the memories came back?

“Either way, I actually feel sorry for Changmin,” Ilsung admitted. “Imagine being attacked in your own home.” He shivered, not wanting to ever face that possibility. “Nowhere in this world is safe anymore."

Their boss stood up, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV, earning groans of frustration from his workers. “Okay, fun time’s over,” he said. “We open in thirty minutes, so get to work. And where’s Hongki and Jisung? They’re late again.”

Dongchul paused as he watched his coworkers reluctantly stand up. “Gotta check on my mom first,” he announced suddenly as he pulled out his phone. He quickly made his way to the breakroom, his phone clasped tightly in hand as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Kyuhyun sighed in relief as he noticed that Changmin had finally fallen asleep. It didn’t look peaceful - Changmin’s face was a bright shade of red, there were still tear stains on his cheeks, as well as a distinct frown on Changmin’s face.

But it was something, so Kyuhyun decided to be content with that.

Kyuhyun ran his finger through Changmin’s hair as he tried to figure out an exact cause of Changmin’s breakdown. His mind was coming empty no matter how hard he tried. One minute he was just talking, the next minute he was cradling a bawling Changmin.

Dr. Han had explained that a traumatic brain injury could cause depression, anxiety, mood swings, and irritability, all of which Changmin had been displaying.

Changmin’s current state shouldn’t have been a surprise to any of them, but it still hurt. They missed seeing his smile.

They hated seeing him look so defeated.

Changmin only had a few days left before he would be finally discharged from the hospital. Kyuhyun only hoped Changmin would be okay by then. He hoped that once Changmin left this hospital, he’d find joy in  _ something  _ while this whole thing was sorted out. It didn’t help that Changmin somehow found a way to blame himself for not only getting attacked, but also for Yunho being sent to prison.

It wasn’t fair.

Changmin and Yunho were suffering for no reason, and Kyuhyun was even beginning to lose hope that it would ever get better. 

Kyuhyun couldn’t let his pessimism show around Changmin, of course. So he completed another long day of schedules, Kyuhyun arrived at the hospital and greeted Changmin and his family with a big smile. 

He hated that he could only come at night, but the bright side was he was allowed to have some alone time with Changmin while the Shim family had gone home to get some rest.

Kyuhyun brought some of Changmin’s favorite snacks, as well as some soup he had picked up from one of Changmin’s favorite restaurants. The Shim family was having a difficult time getting Changmin to eat, and the worse Changmin’s mood got, the worse his eating habits became. 

It took a tremendous amount of coaxing, but with time, Kyuhyun was able to get Changmin to eat half of the bowl of soup.

Once Changmin made it absolutely clear that he was finished eating and couldn’t stomach another bite, Kyuhyun threw the bowl away, climbed onto the bed and pulled Changmin close to him.

Kyuhyun was just talking; Changmin liked it when Kyuhyun talked about stupid things whenever he was feeling down. 

It was when Kyuhyun started talking about the new clothing store that Zhou Mi had dragged him to that Changmin’s tears began. Kyuhyun stopped talking right away, holding Changmin in a tight hug as he cried uncontrollably. 

Changmin had probably been holding in these tears all day. But Kyuhyun knew Changmin didn’t want to cry in front of his family. They were already so worried about him. If they had seen Changmin crying like this, it would have definitely scared them even more.

Kyuhyun wasn’t sure how long it took for Changmin to exhaust himself to the point of falling asleep, but he was glad when it finally happened. 

Kyuhyun has never felt so powerless.

Changmin could barely speak; he was so tongue-tied during his breakdown that his words turned into a string of babbles. The frustration of not being able to speak clearly only distressed Changmin even more, leading him to cry harder, and all Kyuhyun could do was whisper reassurances that didn’t seem to be working.

Kyuhyun knew it was irrational that he should feel guilty - he didn’t cause Changmin’s attack and his injuries. But it still hurt Kyuhyun to remember all the times in the past that he promised to do everything he could to take away Changmin’s pain, and here he was miserably failing. 

Kyuhyun seemed to sink further into the hospital bed as he hoped and prayed that Changmin could stay asleep for the rest of the night. 

That, apparently, was too much to ask for.

Kyuhyun froze as he felt Changmin’s body twitch. He started rubbing circles on Changmin’s back, hoping that was enough for him to continue his rest.

It wasn’t.

Changmin only became more agitated, and Kyuhyun couldn’t decide what to do. Changmin needed to sleep, but if he was having a nightmare, and Kyuhyun didn’t want to make him suffer through it.

But Kyuhyun didn’t have to make a decision, because Changmin’s eyes snapped open as he took a sharp breath.

“Hey,” Kyuhyun said gently. “It’s okay, Changmin.”

Kyuhyun didn’t know what he was comforting Changmin for, but Kyuhyun saw the fear that resided briefly in Changmin’s eyes, and that was enough for him.

Kyuhyun held him in a tight hug, and was surprised when Changmin reciprocated the action.

“Was it a bad dream?” Kyuhyun asked.

He felt Changmin nod against him. 

“Take a few deep breaths, Changmin,” Kyuhyun directed. “It’s okay.”

Changmin did what he was told, closing his eyes as he tried to slow down his breathing.

“What did you see?” Kyuhyun asked.

Changmin swallowed the lump in his throat. “H-him,” he stammered.

Every once in a while, Changmin would wake up from a nightmare pertaining to that night, obtaining a new memory that seemed insignificant; what time it was, the lamp Changmin had  _ just  _ bought getting knocked down, what was showing on TV before he started texting Kyuhyun. The information was always something that the police couldn’t do anything with.

“You saw the man that attacked you?” Kyuhyun guessed.

Changmin nodded once more.

“Oh Changmin,” Kyuhyun replied in sympathy. “You remembered more from that night, didn’t you?”

Changmin nodded again.

Kyuhyun sighed. How many times was Changmin going to have to relive that night?

“He...I...I...he-”

“Slow down, Min,” Kyuhyun said. He didn’t want to force Changmin to talk about it, but it seemed like Changmin had something he wanted to get off his chest, and Kyuhyun was ready to listen.

“...know...him…”

“You...you know the man that did this to you?” Kyuhyun asked. “Like...you actually know him?”

Changmin nodded. He slowly unwrapped his arms from around Kyuhyun’s waist, forcing Kyuhyun to finally let go of him as well, and reached for his whiteboard and marker from his bedside table.

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened as he watched the words Changmin shakily wrote.

**I think I know him. Something about him seems so familiar.**

So Changmin knew this person, just not well enough to register a connection. Kyuhyun was thankful that whoever did this wasn’t someone Changmin had formed a close relationship with. He doubted Changmin could ever bounce back from that breach of trust.

“Can you think of where you might have seen him before that night? Maybe even a name?”

Changmin’s mood seemed to have dropped even lower as he shook his head.

“It’s okay, Min,” Kyuhyun reassured.

Except it wasn’t okay, because Changmin was tired of this. He was tired of not being able to help clear Yunho’s name. He was tired of constantly doubting himself because his injury may have “altered events” in his head. 

The person that attacked him was still out there, and he was tired of the constant paranoia that resulted in knowing that.

“We’re going to find who really did this,” Kyuhyun said, hoping and praying that what he just said wasn’t a lie. Changmin and Yunho deserved justice.

“Yunho...innocent,” Changmin said slowly. He’d continue saying it until those words had actual meaning.

“I know he is,” Kyuhyun replied. “I know he’s innocent.”

Changmin sighed as he closed to his eyes to think. He couldn’t figure out where he had seen this man before. He was hoping that would be another memory that would return to him soon.

“Relax, Min,” Kyuhyun said. “You’ll figure it out.”

Changmin bit his lip. How long would that take?

“Do you think you can be able to go back to sleep?” Kyuhyun asked. “You have your speech therapy session first thing in the morning. I don’t want you to be too tired for it.”

Changmin couldn’t sleep. Not yet, anyway. 

“No,” Changmin responded. 

“How about we watch a movie?” Kyuhyun suggested. “I brought my laptop.”

Changmin pointed a finger to his chest. “I choose,” he demanded. Changmin kept his sentences short and simple. He hated stumbling over basic words, and preferred to avoid the embarrassment all together.

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he surrendered. “You choose. But only because your mom wants me to be nice to you for some reason.”

Changmin laughed, and Kyuhyun reached over to retrieve his backpack placed on the chair beside the bed. He pulled out his laptop from the backpack and smiled as he noticed Changmin’s eyes light up.

Changmin picked up his marker and started writing once more. 

**Do you think Yunho’s okay?**

Kyuhyun suppressed a sigh, because he honestly didn’t know. Donghae had told him that no, Yunho wasn’t doing that well, but didn’t give any details. Kyuhyun didn’t like lying to Changmin, but he also knew that the last thing Changmin needed was to hear any bad news.

“This is Yunho we’re talking about,” Kyuhyun said with a smile. “He survives everything that gets thrown at him. You know that.”

Changmin was obviously content with that answer. He picked his movie and curled up beside Kyuhyun once more.

* * *

Yunho is a social butterfly. 

He thrived off having people to talk to.

While Changmin preferred solitude, Yunho needed to make conversation with anyone and anything.

It was an odd characteristic of their relationship; Yunho constantly wanted to go out and meet new people, while Changmin just needed time to himself.

They both couldn’t understand each other’s views in that regard.

While in custody, Yunho had a cell to himself. After Jaehyun found out there was no way for Yunho make bail, she demanded that Yunho be placed in a cell away from the general population. With Yunho’s idol status, she couldn’t risk any of the prisoners reacting violently to Yunho’s presence. 

At first, Yunho thought the constant time alone would drive him insane.

Ever since Yunho’s arrest, however, he started see the value of solitude.

Especially on nights like this, where having no visitor was better than having  _ this _ visitor.

One minute, Yunho was laying on his lumpy mattress, reading a book of poetry that his sister had brought to him that morning. The next minute, Yunho was mercilessly thrown to the ground by the guard that had let himself in.

Yunho coughed as a foot struck his ribs again, curling into himself as he tried to ease the pain. He was unsuccessful, but at least he didn’t feel like he was about to vomit anymore.

“Your lady friend went crying to the warden about you,” the guard said as he stood over Yunho. “She’s concerned for your safety, and wants you to be under extra protection.”

Yunho took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he felt tears threatening to fall. He already knew he was talking about Jaehyun, and while Yunho usually admired her stubbornness, he couldn’t help but think it had currently dug him into a deeper grave.“Dongsoo,” Yunho gasped. “I...I told her not to.” 

Yunho was sure that the “extra protection” Yunho would receive would be from Dongsoo, and Yunho began to wonder why the universe hated him so much.

Dongsoo kicked him again, as if he didn’t hear what Yunho said. 

“Just tell me what I did,” Yunho pleaded. “What did I do to you to make you hate me so much?”

Dongsoo remained silent, crouching down and glaring at Yunho. “The plan was to kill you, you know,” he said, a short and bitter laugh escaping his lips. “But the better idea was to watch you suffer.”

That wasn’t an answer, and if Yunho had anymore strength left in him, he would have demanded one.

But he was so tired, so physically and emotionally drained. 

“Whatever I did to you,” Yunho continued. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Dongsoo scoffed. “Yeah,” he replied. “You’re _ real  _ sorry.”

“I am,” Yunho said. “You must be hurting a lot, and I caused it somehow. Just know that I never meant you any harm.”

“Shut up,” Dongsoo commanded. He stood up, glaring at Yunho’s pathetic form. “You can make it up to me by rotting in here. Because...quite frankly, we’re going to make sure this place becomes your new home.”

“Were you telling the truth when you said you weren’t the one that hurt Changmin?” Yunho asked. It was a stupid question, Yunho knew that. He had no way to verify whether or not Dongsoo was telling the truth.

“I didn’t try to kill him,” Dongsoo replied.

“But you know who did,” Yunho accused.

Dongsoo chuckled. “Why hasn’t Changmin given his statement to the police yet?”

“I...I don’t know,” Yunho said.

Whether Dongsoo knew he was lying, or he just really hated that answer, Yunho wasn’t sure. But as soon as his answer passed his lips, Dongsoo slammed his boot into Yunho’s ribs.

It felt as if something had exploded in his midsection; Yunho’s breath left him as the pain flared. Yunho tried to move and curl into himself once more, but Dongsoo brought his boot down again, and again, until Yunho felt something snap.

Dongsoo was saying something. Past his blurred vision and teary eyes, Yunho could see Dongsoo’s lips moving. But he couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in his ears.

Each breath Yunho took brought more agony than the last, and he choked on a sob as he watched Dongsoo laugh before turning around and taking his leave.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I feel bad for doing all this to Yunho and Changmin, but then I remember my original draft for this story, and then the guilt goes away.


	6. Sun and Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sound like a broken record but thank you so much for the love you all have shown for this story

Changmin felt himself waking up.

It was odd; he dreamt of being on stage, standing in front of a crowd of millions screaming his name. Yunho was beside him, a proud smile on his face. The two of them were sweaty, tired, and their muscles ached. But they were ecstatic, taking in the energy of their fans. 

There were no worries, no scandal, no drama. Just the two of them on stage giving their all.

Yunho was in the middle of his usual thank you speech while Changmin continually teased him.

They were both on cloud nine, and Changmin loved that.

But it was just a dream.

Because at this point, the only sense of normal that Changmin could ever have was when he was asleep, dreaming about the life he always lived before he was attacked in his own home.

What if he would never get another opportunity to perform with Yunho again?

Changmin would sleep and dream all day if he could, as long as it meant not feeling as weak as he does now. As long as it meant he could see Yunho, even for just a little bit.

And maybe, just maybe, he could delude himself enough into thinking it was all real.

But as Changmin woke up, he knew the uncomfortable bed he laid on was definitely not his own. He was still in the hospital.

His countdown was almost done though. 

Before falling asleep, Dr. Han had entered the room, happily reminding Changmin and his parents that he would finally be released from the hospital the next day.Changmin had to admit that the announcement lifted his spirits a little, and he appreciated that.

His speech was getting better, and soon he would no longer feel trapped within these white walls.

Something about the room seemed different now as Changmin started waking up. When he was falling asleep, his mother was running her hair through his fingers, while his father was holding one of his hands in a tight grip. There were still fingers playing with his hair, but none of his mother’s gentle whispers.

A moan came from the back of his throat as he finally opened his eyes.

“Changmin.”

Changmin felt breathless as he turned his head and saw the person sitting at his bedside. 

He found himself wondering if he was still asleep in his dreamland.

“Yun...Yunho?”

Yunho smiled. “Hey, easy there,” he quickly said after Changmin practically jumped out of bed. “I know you’re tired.”

“I...I’m okay,” Changmin responded. A small laugh escaped his lips. “I’m okay I just-”

Changmin isn’t sure why he suddenly couldn’t speak; whether it was from his head injury or just from the shock of waking up with Yunho next to him. He didn’t care anyway. He and Yunho were always so good at communicating without words. Whatever Changmin was feeling right now, Yunho would know.

He always did.

“I’m really happy to see you, Changmin,” Yunho said. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Changmin felt his eyes watering up. He missed Yunho too; he missed him immensely, but for some reason, Changmin couldn’t get his mouth open to say anything.

Yunho slowly stood up. “It’s okay,” he said softly as he bent down and wrapped his arms around Changmin. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

Changmin wondered how, after everything the two of them have had to put up with, Yunho could still have such an optimistic attitude. He admired Yunho for that. Yunho had been arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, and his first instinct was to comfort Changmin.

Changmin maneuvered his body to tightly wrap his arms around Yunho. He quickly released his hold, however, when he heard Yunho gasp as his body tensed. 

Yunho didn’t let go; he couldn’t.

He looked down, noticing the concerned look in Changmin’s eyes. 

“I’m fine,” he said, flashing his signature smile. “I’m just really happy that you’re okay.”

Changmin smiled, holding Yunho once more.

“Changmin.” Yunho sighed, briefly burying his nose and mouth in Changmin’s hair. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry for everything. I should have been there to protect you and-”

“No,” Changmin interrupted, finally finding his voice. He expected this. Yunho felt as if he was responsible for everything. Of course he’d somehow find a way to blame himself for something he had no control over. What possible rational could Yunho have for blaming himself? 

Changmin felt the tears finally escape his eyes. “It’s...not your fault.”

“Changmin, I-”

“You didn’t hurt me,” Changmin insisted, his voice cracking. He bit his lip, praying that he wouldn’t turn into a blubbering mess right now. “It’s not your fault. I...I…”

At that moment, Changmin couldn’t hold it in anymore. 

Yunho felt so powerless right now. All he wanted to do was help Changmin, and he didn’t know how. All he could do was hold Changmin tight as his shoulders heaved with every sob. His tears continued to soak Yunho’s shirt and Yunho ran his fingers through Changmin’s hair as the younger one cried uncontrollably. Yunho felt his own eyes watering up as he heard the agony in Changmin’s break down. He hated seeing Changmin like this; so broken and full of despair. 

Changmin didn’t deserve any of this.

Yunho had pictured their reunion a million different ways. For some reason, he hadn’t imagined a scenario where both of them would just drown in a pool of tears; choking on their words because their cries just wouldn’t stop. 

“I’m happy you’re okay,” Yunho finally said, hoping Changmin didn’t notice his voice breaking. “I was so worried about you. It doesn’t matter what you say. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if-”

Yunho stopped himself from finishing that sentence. The fact that Changmin almost died was something Yunho couldn’t get himself to face. What was important was that Changmin was alive and right beside him.

Changmin muttered something, causing Yunho to freeze once more. He was hoping he hadn’t heard that correctly.

“What?” Yunho asked. He forcibly broke the hug and brought his hand to Changmin’s cheek. “What did you say?”

“I...I don’t deserve you,” Changmin repeated, followed by another sob.

Yunho shook his head. “No, Changmin,” he argued. “No. Don’t say that. Why would you say that?”

Yunho was sure he would regret asking that question, especially when Changmin continued to cry, turning his head away so as to not meet Yunho’s gaze.

“Changmin,” Yunho tried again. He gently forced Changmin to look back at him again. “Why would you say something like that?”

“I’m sorry,” Changmin simply said. 

That didn’t answer Yunho’s question. If anything, it only confused him more. Changmin was innocent in all of this. He had been in the hospital for over two weeks just because some maniac held a grudge against one of them. That was something Changmin could hardly be held responsible for. 

“What are you talking about, Changmin?” Yunho asked. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Changmin sobbed again. “You...you don’t remember?”

Yunho furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Remember what?”

“That day,” Changmin explained. “Everything I said to you.  I just wanted to hurt you and…” he trailed off, casting his eyes down to his lap. “I was so terrible to you.”

Now Yunho was starting to see where Changmin was going with this. For some reason, Yunho had believed that Changmin would have forgotten about that; that maybe his head injury would have helped wipe that fight from his memory.

Yunho sighed. “Changmin, you shouldn’t worry about that,” he reassured. “I’m not mad at you over that.” Yunho bit his lip. “I slapped you and I shouldn’t have done that.”

Changmin shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I...I was so terrible to you. I don’t deserve you.”

“Stop saying that, Changmin,” Yunho begged.

With shaking hands, Changmin wiped the tears from his face. “When...when  _ he  _ was attacking me,” he began. “I kept thinking... ‘Yunho’s coming. Yunho will save me.’” Changmin tried to ignore the sob that escaped Yunho’s lips at that confession. Yunho already blamed himself for this, Changmin hated the fact that he was making Yunho feel so much worse about it.

“I hurt you that day,” Changmin continued. “I blamed you for everything. I purposely tried tearing you down. But...I was still expecting you to come save me and...you really would. That’s just who you are. That’s why I don’t deserve you. I treat you so badly but you always want to help me.”

Yunho pulled Changmin into a hug once more.

Why did this have to be so painful? 

“Changmin,” Yunho said softly, his hand petting Changmin’s hair. “No matter what happens, I will always come for you. Do you understand that?”

He felt Changmin slowly nod against his chest.

“Besides, I could never stay mad at my Changdola.”

Changmin probably didn’t hear Yunho, or maybe he did and just chose to ignore him. “I’m supposed to be dead,” he pointed out. Changmin knew Yunho didn’t want to hear that, but it was the truth and he wasn’t going to avoid it. “He wanted to kill me that night-”

“Changmin, don’t-”

“I could have died, and the last thing I said to you was how much I hated you.”

“It’s okay, Changmin,” Yunho soothed. “The most important thing right now is you getting better and...and this guy getting caught.” He held Changmin tighter. “I’m not going to let him hurt you,” he promised. “Never again.”

“Yunho?” Changmin said after a few beats of silence.

“Yes, Changmin?”

“How did you get out?”

Yunho smiled. “My lawyer, Jaehyun,” he said. “She’s amazing.”

Changmin waited for Yunho to continue, but realized Yunho had nothing more to say in the matter. Maybe he’d talk more about it later. But for now, Changmin wasn’t going to try and force any of that out of him. What was most important to Changmin was the fact that he was finally able to see Yunho.

Changmin didn’t realize how much he needed Yunho in his life until he had to go a full two weeks without even hearing his voice. 

Changmin wiggled out of Yunho’s grasp, much to the older one’s confusion. He shifted over and patted the newly formed space on the bed.

With a smile, Yunho accepted the invitation and climbed on. 

Changmin immediately wrapped his arms around Yunho once more, and the two of them sat in silence for several minutes, letting the remaining tears fall from their eyes.

Yunho sighed in contentment. “Changmin misses me,” he teased, a silly grin on his face. “Amazing.”

Changmin rolled his eyes. He glared at Yunho. He last thing he needed right now was for Yunho to kill the moment with his unnecessary gushing.

“Yunho?” Changmin asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. 

Yunho responded with a hum, absentmindedly running his fingers through Changmin’s hair as he waited for a response.

“Why are you wearing makeup?”

Yunho stiffened. “What?” he asked.

“You’re visiting me,” Changmin continued. “You don’t need it.”

Yunho laughed nervously. “Oh,” he casually replied, subconsciously putting his hand to his cheek. “It’s nothing.”

Concern was written all over Changmin’s face, and Yunho hated it. He wished Changmin would just look away, but the maknae was busy studying Yunho’s appearance for answers.

Yunho should have expected Changmin to be so observant, even in his current state.

“Something’s wrong with you,” Changmin concluded.

“I...didn’t sleep much in prison,” Yunho explained. He didn’t care what happened to him anymore, but he wasn’t ready to let Changmin to know what happened in prison. Changmin had already suffered so much, Yunho wasn’t going to place further burden on him. “I didn’t want you to see the bags under my eyes.”

Changmin sat up straighter. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Yunho shook his head. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “It was noisy and we had to wake up early. I just wasn’t used to that, you know?” At least that was part of the truth, and that satisfied Yunho’s conscience.

Changmin’s body slackened at Yunho’s answer. “You should rest,” he suggested.

Yunho nodded. “I will,” he promised. “But for now, I just want to spend some time with you. Is that okay?”

Changmin nodded, a big smile on his face as he leaned further against Yunho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while but here I am! (Seriously, though why does life have to be so hard?!)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter that I'm sure all of you have been waiting for. On that note, let me just say that Yunho's prison bully isn't off the hook because how dare he?
> 
> So I need to write something for TVXQ's 15th anniversary which, by the way, I can't believe we're in November already! I'm running out of time. 15 years is a big deal and I want to make sure I do our boys justice (but the fic I wrote for their military enlistment...I don't think I can top that). So basically I'll be doing some massive brainstorming for a while XD
> 
> Until next time! :)


	7. Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a (very unintended and regretful) hiatus, here's the next chapter. I felt bad for going so long without an update, so here's a short chapter so we all know this story hasn't been forgotten. Thanks for waiting!

The silence in the room was tense, almost suffocating.

The doctor stared at the young man in front of him. It looked like he hadn't even reached the age of thirty, yet he and his brother already had to deal with so much.

Dongsoo curled his fingers into fists. “What are you saying?”

The doctor sighed, seeing nothing but distress in the younger man’s eyes. It hadn’t been easy for these boys; watching their mother slowly deteriorate while they could do absolutely nothing to save her. Their mother had been sick for a long time now, but that really didn’t matter. No amount of time could ever prepare a person to prematurely bury their beloved family member. “It’s best that you and your brother say your goodbyes now if you haven't already. She only has a few days left.”

A few days left? That couldn’t be right. It didn’t make any sense. Their mother was still young. There were so many things she still wanted to do. She was one of the nicest women on the planet; always willing to help everyone around her and put others before herself.

It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.

“Why can’t you do anything to help her?” Dongsoo asked, his voice cracking as he felt the tears stinging his eyes.

The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. This was always the hardest part of his job; delivering a death sentence to the grieving family. He'd been a doctor for a long time, and still couldn't find a way to be immune to the helpless feeling it brought. “At this stage, the only thing we can do for her is make sure she’s not in pain. But as I said before, she has until the end of the week  _ at most _ .”

Dongsoo swallowed the lump in his throat. A few days wasn’t enough time, and he would do anything to extend that it, even just a little bit.

“Please call your brother and have him come as soon as he can," the doctor suggested. "Your mother will need both of you with her.”

* * *

Jihye made her way back to Yunho’s bedroom. 

It was a relief to see Yunho was exactly where she had left him; laying miserably in bed. He was angry with her, she could easily tell, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to be apologetic. 

His feelings on the matter weren’t anything she would take into consideration this time.

“How are you feeling?” Jihye asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Yunho sighed. “I’m fine,” he muttered.

Changmin was not only getting discharged from the hospital today, but the officers involved with his case were also going to get his statement. Yunho wanted nothing more than to be with Changmin, providing as much support as possible. 

Instead he was here, bed-bound and useless, while Changmin had to confront what was probably the scariest night of his life.

“I should be with him,” Yunho insisted.

“You should be  _ resting _ ,” Jihye countered. “If you want to help Changmin you need to make sure you’re well first. You fractured 2 ribs. You have to limit your movement. We shouldn’t even have let you go see Changmin yesterday.”

Jihye knew she was being harsh; the hurt expression on Yunho’s face confirmed it all. But she needed Yunho to stop being so stubborn. Changmin was one of the most important people in Yunho’s life, so it made sense to her that Yunho would want nothing more than to be with Changmin during one of the hardest times of their lives. However, Yunho also needed to be rational and think about himself for once. 

“Are Changmin’s parents still mad at me?” Yunho asked, his gaze downcast. He looked like a small child in at this moment, and Jihye couldn’t remember seeing Yunho look so vulnerable.

Jihye sighed.

“They are...aren’t they?”

Jihye wasn’t sure she could answer that question. From what she heard, the Shims had been so terribly shaken by everything that happened. The shock of almost losing their son, combined with the overwhelming evidence the police had against Yunho, easily led them to believe Yunho was the culprit.

The thought left Jihye bitter. How could the Shims, after the relationship their sons had always shared, be so quick to believe that Yunho would actually try to  _ kill  _ Changmin?

“I...I really don’t know,” she finally admitted with a pathetic shrug.

“If it hadn’t been for Kyuhyun I wouldn’t have been able to see Changmin yesterday,” Yunho muttered.

“I can’t speak for Changmin’s parents,” Jihye said, shaking her head. “But at least you know that Changmin was never mad at you. Just give his parents some time to come around. It’s been a hard time for them too.”

Yunho nodded. “I understand,” he muttered.

Jihye smiled. “This will all blow over soon,” she said, making her voice sound a little extra perky. Yunho, despite how hard he’d been trying to hold it together, seemed to be falling apart bit by bit. Jihye just hoped she didn’t just make an empty promise to Yunho, but she had to be confident that eventually Yunho could get his life back. “And once they finally listen to Changmin’s side of the story, they’ll finally change their minds.”

“Why do they even need to put Changmin through it again?” Yunho asked as he draped his arm over his eyes. “He’s suffered enough.”

_ So have you,  _ Jihye supplied in her mind. “Now that Changmin’s speech is back, the police finally believe he’s credible,” she explained.

Yunho shook his head. That didn’t answer his question. “Jaehyun found the knife in Changmin’s apartment,” he reminded her. “The police already know it wasn’t me. Why are we even dragging this out?”

“ _ Any _ detail they can get out of Changmin is one step closer to finding the guy who did this to him,” Jihye replied. “The fingerprints on the knife didn’t match yours, but the prints they did find weren’t in the system. If Jaehyun hadn’t thought to go back and have that apartment searched again, you’d probably still be in jail and-” she waved her hands in the air “-whatever was going on with you in jail would keep happening.”

Yunho sighed again, removing his arm from his face.

“Oppa,” Jihye said gently. She seemed to always return to this topic at every opportunity. “Who was hurting you?”

Yunho scoffed. “You of all people should know how clumsy I am,” he replied.

“This isn’t clumsiness,” Jihye argued. She noticed Yunho was starting to avoid eye contact, and she silently prayed that her brother wouldn’t try to shut her out again for being so worried. “Someone was deliberately hurting you, and I don’t understand why you want to protect them so much.”

“I’m not protecting anyone,” Yunho insisted.

“Then why do you  _ insist  _ on keeping quiet about this?” Jihye desperately asked.

“Because there’s nothing to talk about.”

“It seemed like everytime I came to visit, you had a new injury,” Jihye reminded him. 

“Jihye-”

“There’s no reason to let him get away with this.”

“Jihye-”

“If he was threatening you he obviously can’t do anything now.”

“Jihye, stop!” Yunho yelled, a sharp ache in his ribs appearing. Both Jung siblings froze. Yunho immediately regretted his outburst, seeing the terrified look in his younger sister’s eyes. Losing his temper around her was a rare occurrence, and at the moment, Yunho wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die for treating his sister like this, especially knowing that she was so worried about him.

“I’m sorry,” Yunho muttered. “I just...I just want you to stop worrying and for all of this to just go away.”

She reached out and grabbed Yunho’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “And it will,” she promised. Maybe if she said it enough times, it would come true. “But you and Changmin have been through so much, and the people that caused your pain need to be punished for it.”

There were several beats of silence; Yunho obviously had many things to say, and Jihye just wanted him to let it all out.

However, of all worries that might have been floating in Yunho’s head, Jihye wasn’t expecting “I still need a new phone” to be the first thing that came out of Yunho’s mouth.

Jihye chuckled. “I’ll handle it,” she promised. “And then you can check on Changmin as many times as you want.” Because she was absolutely sure that was Yunho’s priority at the moment. 

"I couldn't protect him that night," Yunho muttered. 

"You need to understand that none of this is your fault," Jihye pleaded. She wished there was someway she could get Yunho to change his mind.

"Do you think he'll be okay today?" Yunho asked, as ignoring Jihye's statement.

Jihye nodded. "I know he will."

Yunho gave a half smile, and seemed content with that answer.

Jihye finally released her hold on Yunho's hand. She slowly stood up, confusing her brother. “I'm getting hungry," she explained. "I’m going to go check what you have in your fridge and make us something to eat.”

“Just order something,” Yunho said quickly. He was absolutely sure his fridge was practically empty, and it didn't help that he was arrested the day before he planned to do some real grocery shopping. “My wallet’s on the table.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of Changmin in this chapter :'(


End file.
